CONNEAUT - - A persistent smell of natural gas in a section of Conneaut's downtown district the past several days tipped city officials to a massive sinkhole growing beneath one of the city's busiest intersections, Fire Chief Bim Orrenmaa said Monday.
Repair crews from Dominion East Ohio, investigating the odor Monday morning, discovered a gaping cavern beneath the pavement - - large enough to swallow a vehicle - - at Main and Harbor streets, Orrenmaa said.
"It was at least eight feet wide, eight feet long and five feet deep," he said.
A broken storm sewer drain apparently leaked water that washed away soil, creating a cavity that could have collapsed under the weight of vehicles at any time, Orrenmaa said. "We averted a tragedy," he said.
Disappearing dirt may have also made leaks in a natural gas line easier to detect. As the gas line gradually lost it's insulating blanket of soil, the smell intensified. Prompt response by Dominion repairmen made a big difference, he said.
"If the gas company hadn't been so helpful, we wouldn't have found the sinkhole," Orrenmaa said.
The gas line and storm sewer were repaired during the day, and by early Monday evening workers from the city's Public Works Department was filling the giant hole.
The incident began around 9:30 a.m., when employees at Marshall's Auto Supply, located at the intersection, reported a strong smell of natural gas, Orrenmaa said. The odor had been detected over the past several days, "but (Monday) it seemed worse," he said.
Inspectors sent to the scene summoned extra help to deal with the problem, Orrenmaa said. "(Dominion) pulled crews off other jobs," he said.
When the gas crews began digging, they "found a huge problem," Orrenmaa said.
The Main Street side of the intersection was closed to traffic during the day, while flow was reduced to one lane on Harbor Street, Orrenmaa said. No buildings had to be evacuated, he said.
Local News
Sinkhole disrupts downtown Conneaut
- Local News
-
-
Presses stopped: Updated with video
It was June 23, 1969.
-
Murder suspect kills self at mother’s grave
Madison Township police officers found the body of a murder suspect in the Alexander Harper Cemetery on Thursday afternoon, ending a day-long, multi-county manhunt.
-
Commissioners pay to get the business
Commissioners on Tuesday approved a $15,000 contract with Growth Partnership for Ashtabula County to provide business service representation on behalf of the county’s One-Stop job training center.
-
Airport takes off with a new name
A new name for the Ashtabula County Airport is winding its way through the regulatory channels.
-
Property owners must pay for meth labs in Jefferson
An ordinance requiring landowners to pay for the clean-up costs of clandestine drug labs was unanimously adopted by Village Council.
-
Elections board gets help with time-consuming tasks
A Xenia company specializing in election services will take on some time-consuming tasks that should help contain the Ashtabula County Board of Elections’ labor costs, members said.
-
Grand Valley sixth grader wins Ashtabula County Spelling Bee
James Elliott, a sixth grader at Grand Valley Middle School, clinched his win of the 29th annual Ashtabula County Area V Spelling Bee by successfully spelling the words “physique” and “daffodil.”
-
Sports, academics to come together
SPIRE Institute will expand its educational base and accept international students into its sports performance programs through a partnership with the Andrews Osborne Academy, Ted Meekma, SPIRE management team member, announced Wednesday.
-
Conneaut Chamber lauds top citizen, ‘Champions’
Nicholas Iarocci, Conneaut’s 2011 Citizen of the Year, needed plenty of gulps of water to complete his acceptance speech Tuesday night.
-
Felony charge filed in robbery
An Ashtabula woman who police said grabbed a woman’s purse inside a Conneaut supermarket late Monday afternoon faces a felony charge in Conneaut Municipal Court, according to reports.
- More Local News Headlines
-
