Part of St. Paul’s W. 7th Street is closed from Kellogg Boulevard to Grand Avenue after a sinkhole opened there Thursday evening, and officials said repairs could take up to two months.
Crews from St. Paul Public Works and Regional Water Services were assessing the damage caused by the sinkhole, which opened between Chestnut and Walnut streets not far from Xcel Energy Center and United Hospital.
One lane of the street will remain open in each direction to local businesses only. Drivers are asked to use alternate routes and follow posted detours. Sidewalks are open.
Surrounding businesses and homes still have water service, and sewer service has been diverted during the repairs.
Public Works Director Sean Kershaw said small voids that cause sinkholes are easy to repair and common. Water often erodes limestone under roads to create the voids, which can be around 12 inches deep.
But this sinkhole is unusual because it’s much deeper, Kershaw said. The Public Works Department confirmed Saturday that the sinkhole is 35-feet deep.
Officials were investigating what caused the sinkhole. Kershaw said the city’s oldest sanitary sewer line may lie beneath this stretch of W. 7th Street in layers of sandstone and limestone.
Part of the sewer line collapsed, Kershaw said.