The City That Sinks
The spring rains are here, and with them some of Portland's ancient streets are collapsing into sinkholes. There's a good one going at 37th and Sandy that's getting some media attention, but an alert reader tells of another one not too far from there that seemingly is being ignored:
New Year's Day 2009 was very rainy in Portland, and this depression in the ground near SE 39th and Main got a lot bigger. It had been there a while -- around 4 feet across and a foot deep with a deep hole at one end -- but now the deep hole was around a foot-and-a-half across and just descended down into the dark unknown. A kid or a dog could fall into it and never be heard from again. So I called the City That Works and reported it on Friday, January 2nd. My wife and I were very impressed when this safety equipment showed up by the next day, and some dirt appeared to have been dumped in the bottom of the hole. But that was it -- nothing more. Lately the rains have returned, and the hole is widening again. So I'm sending you these pictures from just yesterday.Here's the entire depression with 39th in the background:
Here's the hole at the end of the depression. It's been raining recently and a lot of the dirt has washed down:
This is my favorite. See the curb just hanging there in the air? When it rains a stream of water comes from under the roadway through that slit beneath the curb down into the hole, so there has got to be some erosion at work under the asphalt. At this point, I don't walk within 10 feet of this thing:
I know we've been concentrating on million-dollar deals in this town, but this is an honest-to-God safety problem. It's the type of situation I used to check out when I was a little kid, and I'm concerned some youngster might fall in. There's a hole under this dirt that could go anywhere. Isn't it time for our city council to refocus on stuff like this? I mean, it has been 2½ months since the city put up the safety equipment. Notice it's even been tagged since then, like it was part of the neighborhood. But the ironic part -- given our recent political shenanigans -- is that this stretch of ground really is a blighted area. Can't we at least declare it a tiny Urban Renewal District and stuff the hole with money?
| Posted at 7:35 AM | Permalink |
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Comments (29)
Q: What's white and sleeps three?
A: A City of Portland truck.
That one has been around for quite some time and it still has merit.
Posted by Z | March 17, 2009 7:51 AM
The sign on the little barricade says "City of Portland Public Works"...
The Leprechauns must be in down in that now not so little hole, just digging away, looking for their pot 'o gold today.
Can we just bury Sam, head first, there?
Posted by portland native | March 17, 2009 8:01 AM
2 months is way too long for a hole like that to be left agape, for sure, but I bet that when they finally get around to fixing the problem, it isn't going to be a matter of simply filling the hole with gravel. It will probably amount to a more major undertaking involving cutting out and replacing a section of the pavement, which is likely the source of the hold up.
Posted by bp | March 17, 2009 8:40 AM
Aah, so this is why Commissioner Leonard ordered Water Bureau Employees to cover up the slogan on their vehicles, "The City That Works," with decals saying "From Forest to Faucet." He doesn't want workers in his bailiwick to be blamed for the inaction of employees of other bureaus.
Nick Fish is officially "Commissioner of Public Works" but I think another city bureau might be responsible, maybe Bureau of Maintenance, which is under Mayor Adams.
Posted by A Hopeful | March 17, 2009 8:47 AM
When I first saw that headline I thought it read, "The city that stinks."
Posted by jfwells | March 17, 2009 9:36 AM
No this is clearly the entrance to one of our "Shanghi Tunnels". I have it on good authority that the PDC has optioned the hole for $1.5 million and is going to develop it as a tourist attraction.
Posted by John Peterson | March 17, 2009 9:41 AM
It's interesting that the barricades were in place long enough to get tagged.
Posted by Daivd E Gilmore | March 17, 2009 10:00 AM
A kid or a dog could fall in? Borrrrrrrring. If a bicyclist fell in, though, Sam would be holding a press conference in front of that thing--shovel in hand- within 10 minutes.
Posted by Dave J. | March 17, 2009 10:06 AM
Send Chlapowski out there with a shovel to make his personal contribution to civic happiness.
Posted by telecom | March 17, 2009 10:07 AM
Get used to it. THere is a whole bunch of infrastructure close-in (especially the East side) that is pushing 100 years old. Of course, CoP has been totally ignoring it for 30+ years so they can build condos and downtown malls. Now it's a question of when not if with these sinkholes.
Posted by Steve | March 17, 2009 11:07 AM
Throw an old bike in and call Sam up. Tell him some young man in spandex fell in that hole. He'll be there in minutes.
Posted by recovering conservative | March 17, 2009 11:40 AM
Sam has fixed the problem with poor streets a couple years ago, its the tram - no need for expensive roads.
Poor roads? who cares? we get MLS!!!!!
Posted by gl | March 17, 2009 11:42 AM
A kid or a dog could fall in? Borrrrrrrring.
Thanks Dave J. I'll be laughing all day on that one!
Posted by Bad Brad | March 17, 2009 11:43 AM
I have never understood why we dont get those things cleared up immediately, those can become very very expensive if it starts undermining the strength of the road next to it.
Posted by Portland Real Estate | March 17, 2009 11:54 AM
Yet another reason why, in my mind, we need to elect the city council by district rather than at large. This is the kind of thing that gets taken care of pretty quickly when a member of the council (a) lives nearby, and (b) gets yelled at by angry constituents who say they won't vote for him/her if that pothole stays around.
But as it is now the crew running the city listens to the folks in the west hills, and everyone else can go pound sand.
Posted by Dave J. | March 17, 2009 1:11 PM
Jack, FYI:
http://globaleconomicanalysis.blogspot.com/2009/03/judge-rules-vallejo-can-void-union.html
Posted by JHB | March 17, 2009 2:25 PM
Lets call it subterranean renewal instead of sinkholes. It sounds more sustainable that way. About that light rail inspired maintenance backlog is there room for another fee ? Soccer ball sales maybe ? Or a new slogan ? The city that sinks.
Posted by conspiracyzach | March 17, 2009 2:40 PM
Whoopsee you already got that one...I thought it said stinks too.
Posted by conspiracyzach | March 17, 2009 2:43 PM
Free public toilet for the homeless! $300K, my ass.
Posted by RJBob | March 17, 2009 4:30 PM
This looks amazingly similar to a sinkhole that appeared in my neighborhood - parking strip just started caving in, and got worse and worse over time. The city workers eventually came and repaired the broken sewer pipe that was causing the problem, and backfilled the hole. Seems like a lot of neighborhoods are at a critical age, where the 100 year-old sewer pipes are failing.
Posted by Frank | March 17, 2009 5:26 PM
Sort of makes me wonder whether the the new condos are putting greater stress on the aging sewer pipes, causing even faster decay and possibly larger failures? We've seen sink holes swallowing up city trucks. How long till a building disappears into the earth??
Posted by Frank | March 17, 2009 5:34 PM
Looks like the start of a fine bioswale. You know, water seeking it's own level and all...
Posted by Davw | March 17, 2009 5:40 PM
If we can create an URD, why not a SRD? What's an SRD? Why Subterranean Renewal District, thilly gooth.
Imagine how property values will rise in neighborhoods with new water/sewer pipes safely ensconced beneath freshly paved streets and new sidewalks, smooth as Beaulita's ass.
Posted by JennGorasm | March 17, 2009 7:42 PM
I recently walked into NW with a friend . . . from Montgomery Park to Powells Books and we paused at every block, heaving deep sighs and saying, "BLIGHTED! Oh, how blighted!"
It's simply heart-wrenching to view the many condo towers filled with tenants who are enjoying tax abatements and those who cannot attract tenants as well as others in the works despite evidence to the contrary that there's no market of overpriced boxes with monthly rental fees on top of the purchase price.
Then we hove into view of a Starbucks, the streetcar, Jamison Park and Little Urbanites and were saved! I tell you, SAVED!
Even though the downtown area is obviously a slum in need of massive investment of tax dollars there are still small comforts. And soon we can wipe such useless presences as Hippo Hardware and Old Wives Tale from the near eastside to make way for . . . MORE CONDOS! More condos are always the answer . . .
Posted by NW Portlander | March 17, 2009 9:00 PM
try driving down NW 23rd..you feel like your in a FLINTSTONES episode. What a ho-dunk town this is.
Posted by realdoN | March 18, 2009 7:04 AM
From my understanding, the problems on NW 23rd haven't been dealt with because the retailers make too much of a stink about the required road closures. Go by Streetcar!
Posted by drivin' fool | March 18, 2009 10:48 AM
How long till a building disappears into the earth??
Like maybe a soccer stadium??
heh
Posted by mike | March 18, 2009 1:51 PM
Maybe this accounts for the story about the "leaning tower of Portland". I refer to the pathetic "green" John Ross tower. Also known as a giant cigarette lighter.
Posted by conspiracyzach | March 18, 2009 7:56 PM
On second thought they could hire some nerdy consultant to come up with some report attributing these pits to the dreaded boogey man GLOBAL WARMING. That could acheive a greater consensus about additional tax breaks for more of the cherished green condos.
Posted by conspiracyzach | March 18, 2009 8:01 PM