Infrastructure struggles under storm water
Sink holes opened up and retaining walls weakened across Colorado Springs under the weight of this round of storm’s heavy rain and hail.
A sink hole opened up in the intersection of North Academy Boulevard and Montebello Drive West on Sunday afternoon. Colorado Springs police helped re-direct traffic as Colorado Springs Utilities assessed damage and roped off a section of the road.
Andy Fitch was driving in the intersection when he noticed the sink hole and called police. He said cars were driving within inches of the opening.
“Cars were driving over that part of the road that had no support under it at all so it’s pretty fortunate no cars fell into it because the hole continues underneath that asphalt quite a ways,” said Fitch.
He turned around and positioned his car to steer drivers around the sinkhole while he waited for police to arrive.
“Luckily no one fell into it,” said Fitch.”It’s big enough, you could fit a small car in that hole.”
People stopped and took photos of the sink hole.
“I like to take pictures of things I thought well this is a good one,” said Lorraine Almond.
The sink hole was patched up by Sunday night. However, a portion of Montebello Drive West was still blocked off.
A sink hole also blocked a lane of traffic on the city’s west side. A sink hole opened up on Saturday on Centennial Boulevard near Garden of the Gods Road. Crews have lined the sink hole with large cement slabs. One lane of traffic and the shoulder is blocked off near the sink hole.
A cement wall fell in Motor City on Sunday. Caution tape blocked off the back of a building on Motor City Drive. Part of the wall is leaning against the building. The building itself does not appear to be damaged.
Rain and flooding caused concrete blocks to tumble down from a retaining wall at the top of a hill on 26th Street on Tuesday night. The wall collapsed further early Saturday morning.
Colorado Springs Utilities had to close a section of Colorado Avenue between 30th and 31st streets on Sunday because a storm sewer was overwhelmed with water. Water was bubbling through manholes near the intersection.
Crews pumped water above ground and directed it back into the sewer several hundred feet away to ease pressure on the sewer. People were able to access businesses along the stretch through side roads during the work.
