By Angela Marshall
There's no such thing as good vibrations when it comes to sewer lines. Village officials think it might have been the non-stop rumbling of traffic at the heavily-traveled intersection of Merrick Road and Village Avenue that caused a below-ground line to collapse there last week.
Area businesses reported sewer water backing up in their basements on Thursday. By noon, sewer and highway crews were dispatched to the intersection and the collapsed line was found. Police diverted traffic to Sunrise Highway while crews worked to reach the more than 75-year-old line. It was 18 feet below the surface and blocked by phone, electric, gas and water conduits.
A blue tube was used to transport the sewage past the collapsed pipe so that residents and businesses would still be able to use their rest rooms.
The area was completely closed to traffic until Saturday evening and subject to sporadic closures on Sunday. Traffic was backed up for blocks.
By Monday, the intersection was back to normal, but Village Administrator Ronald Wasson said more repairs have to be made. In order to stabilize the roadway, new concrete will have to be pinned to the existing concrete. Wasson said it should take seven or eight hours and will be performed at night. Residents, he said, will be given plenty of warning.
In order to prevent future collapses, video cameras were snaked through the pipes looking for cracks. One was found and a sleeve, almost like a PVC pipe, was inserted. The sleeve is smaller than the line when it is inserted. It is filled with steam and then warm air to make it take on the form of the line and finally cold air is used to harden it.
On Wednesday, the village planned to inspect and apply the sleeve to all the existing pipes at the intersection.
Village spokesman Jeff Kluewer said there are inspections of the lines all the time.
This pipe was at the lowest part of the system where it connects with the Nassau County sewer system.
Built in 1929, Rockville Centre
