A section of First Avenue in the area of 14th Street was closed for part of Monday so that city crews could bring in the heavy equipment. The workers were called out for the latest attempt to fill in part of a gapping hole that leads to a huge underground cavern. People who live near the work zone say the sink hole in their street has the potential to be a huge problem.
The sink hole can be traced to an underground problem that City workers have been aware of at least 80 years. It was back in the 1930s that the then Fire Chief of the city noticed some problems with sinking land. In the 1960's the City hired a geologist to study the problem and issue reports for the city after researching the area. The problem area sits on a fault line and covers the entrance to an underground cavern.
About fifty years ago, one house in the 1300 block of First Avenue had to be demolished after a sink hole cracked its foundation and caused its porch to collapse. While there have been a number of attempts to repair the problem over the years, none of theme have turned out to be a permanent solution.
It was because this sink hole opens into a huge underground cavern that city workers say coming up with a permanent solution is difficult. They say the best they can do is to make sure the area is safe and the ground is stable.
While the deep underground cavern is still there, city workers expected build a stable base over the entrance that will allow for permanent repairs to be made to the street, sidewalk and utility lines in the area.
Source: We are Central PA