LITTLETON, Colo. — After more than two months, a Littleton neighborhood road is close to reopening after a large sinkhole opened up in June during record-breaking rainfall.
According to the City of Littleton's website on the project, Jackass Hill Road just north of Mineral Avenue is set to reopen before the end of August.
A large sinkhole forced the road closure on the morning of June 12. One car was caught and then removed from the sinkhole.
Staff with Littleton Public Works found that one of the aging 48-inch underground culverts that drains water in Jackass Gulch had collapsed. A second culvert, which was 48 inches, was still intact. However, as more rain fell, the first sinkhole grew and the second culvert partially collapsed, the city said.
Both pipes were originally installed in 1985.
The City of Littleton warned that the road may not reopen for weeks and set up a closure on W. Jackson Hill Road from W. Mineral Avenue to S. Curtice Court and W. Jamison Way. There are no driveways along this section of road.
The pipes were replaced with two 66-inch diameter reinforced concrete pipes, which are more durable, according to the city. Contractors were able to obtain those pipes faster than normal — typically they take months to be fabricated and delivered, which would have pushed the reopening date into the fall.
Littleton usually gets about 14 inches of rain every year, but had already surpassed that by the start of July. Recorded rainfall in June was about four times the average, according to the city.
Click here for a detailed timeline of the project.
