Officially, work is set to resume on the downtown Emporia sinkhole Tuesday.
Equipment was brought to the 10th and Commercial intersection Monday in preparation for underground repairs, including a new, wider storm sewer box — 54 inches as opposed to the prior width of 44 inches. Subgrade work is also likely before the area outside Carlos Liquor can be repaved.
The Commercial Street closure zone expanded slightly as equipment was moved onsite Monday. Drivers can no longer use 10th to get around the work zone as they had for the week-plus since the sinkhole became evident March 29.
At this point, there is no confirmation whether the repair zone will have to be expanded. The repairs at the failure zone have been estimated to cost almost $54,000, but that cost jumps to around $850,000 if full underground work is needed on Commercial from 8th to 10th as well as 10th from Commercial to Merchant.
