The excavated area at the intersection of Farmington Avenue and LaSalle Road has been paved and crews will leave the area open to traffic for the weekend.

Crews are leaving the intersection at Farmington Avenue and LaSalle Road open for the weekend, but work is scheduled to resume Monday. Photo courtesy of John Phillips

By Ronni Newton

The West Hartford Department of Public Works and a drainage contractor have been working to resolve a persistent problem with sinkholes in the middle of West Hartford Center, and on Tuesday excavated a 15-foot hole in the road surface in order to explore the reason for the ongoing road problems and make necessary repairs.

Public Works Director John Phillips reported on Thursday afternoon that crews were in the final stages of paving the excavated area and reopening the intersection in all directions.

“We discovered a couple of problems below grade. We feel we have taken care of the problems that were discovered,” Phillips said in an email.

However, he said that the “complexity of the underground infrastructure” makes it difficult to be certain the sinkhole problem is completely resolved.

The site has been demobilized for the weekend to allow traffic to flow unimpeded through West Hartford Center.

Crews will return on Monday, Phillips said, to work on one final sinkhole area on the westbound lanes of Farmington Avenue.

Phillips said that “at least two more days of traffic and Center life disruptions” should be expected next week.

Like what you see here? Click here to subscribe to We-Ha’s newsletter so you’ll always be in the know about what’s happening in West Hartford!