When will Lake Montebello's massive sinkhole be repaired? Here's a look at the progress.
BALTIMORE - The sinkhole that opened up at Lake Montebello in 2022 is expected to be completely repaired in the fall.
Making progress
WJZ got a closer look on Tuesday at the work being done to repair the sinkhole.
Officials say part of the lake was temporarily lowered while they safely removed about 7,500 dump trucks worth of soil to get to the bottom of the sinkhole.
They're now ready to replace the drain.
When will repairs be completed?
The project, deemed a "legacy project," is expected to be complete in November with the hopes of reopening the part of the paved path now off limits.
Completion of the work is welcoming news for those who like to use the popular 1.3-mile lake loop that's been partially closed off for nearly two years.
"We worked seven days a week from sun up to sun down," said Cherod Hicks, the project engineer with the Baltimore Department of Public Works.
Making it personal
Hicks told WJZ the work to finish the sinkhole is personal.
"I live right across the street," Hicks said. "I can actually see the lake and the construction project from my window."
Hicks is one of 300,000 customers receiving water from a 48-inch water main bypass, a connection pipe above the ground, while crews work to repair the massive sinkhole at the Lake Montebello water treatment plant.
"Critical area"
Timothy Wolfe, chief of engineering and construction at DPW, said that in July 2020, severe flooding on Hillen Road sparked an investigation into the 65-foot drain.
City investigators found that a portion of the 145-year-old storm drain beneath the road collapsed and later caused the massive sinkhole to expand in November 2022.
"This is a critical area for our water infrastructure," Wolfe said. "We put out 40 to 50 million gallons of water a day."
