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Akron declares emergency repair after 115‑year‑old Cary Avenue storm sewer began collapsing
Summary
City crews and a contractor excavated and replaced a failing 42‑inch segmental metal storm sewer on Cary Avenue in the Kenmore neighborhood, installing a new manhole and about 160 feet of replacement pipe to prevent a roadway collapse; the committee approved the emergency repair on consent.
Akron service officials told the Public Service Committee that crews responded to reports of a sinkhole and discovered a failing 115‑year‑old storm sewer under Cary Avenue in the Kenmore neighborhood, prompting an emergency repair that city staff said a contractor completed this summer.
Service Director Chris Luddle said the failing sewer—described in the presentation as an approximately 42‑inch segmental metal (historic block) sewer—had begun to cave and that crews “TV‑ed” the line, found extensive collapse, and had to plate the roadway before excavating. Luddle said the repair required adding a manhole and installing roughly 160 feet of replacement pipe and that the work included restoration and repaving of the excavated section of Cary Avenue.
Committee action: Committee members placed the repair item on the consent portion of the agenda and approved it by voice vote at the meeting. No roll‑call vote or recorded “no” votes were noted in the transcript; staff described the work as emergency repairs undertaken to keep the road and adjacent properties safe.
Context: Luddle described the construction method for older sewers as stacked clay/segmental blocks that can collapse in sheets once a failure begins; he warned that once these sewers begin to fail, the collapse can accelerate rapidly and threaten the roadway. The committee did not discuss specific contractor names or contract dollar amounts at the meeting.
