The Indiana Department of Transportation (INDOT) has closed Calumet Avenue between Michigan Street and Sibley Street in Hammond today for an extended period.
During the course of INDOT’s reconstruction of the Calumet Avenue Bridge over the Indiana Harbor Belt Railroad, INDOT’s contractor pierced the top of an 84” brick sewer on Friday, May 4, 2018. Attempts by the contractor to shore up the area and keep the roadway open have been unsuccessful. Hammond Sanitary District Sewer Maintenance crews have performed a visual inspection of the inside of the pipe and found a 6-foot-long by 2-foot-wide section of the top of the sewer missing and a significant amount of sand inside the sewer.
A site inspection today revealed an 8-foot-deep by 6-foot wide cavity directly under the southbound lane of Calumet Avenue and directly over the combined sewer. The roadway was being supported by only a 6-inch slab of reinforced concrete slab. INDOT’s contractor will begin immediately excavating for repair to the sewer. It is not currently known how long it will take to repair the sewer and reopen the road.