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Concrete solution applied to Moe’s hole in the ground

Moe’s notorious Bristol Street holes have been permanently plugged.

By Latrobe City Council - 11th May 2001 - Back to News

Moe’s notorious Bristol Street holes have been permanently plugged. Contractors began filling the old stormwater drain which has caused the problems, with a concrete slurry on Wednesday, and the entire cavity had been filled by Thursday morning.

Latrobe City Mayor, Councillor Brendan Jenkins said that at last a long term and permanent solution had been found to address the problem, of reappearing holes in the Bristol and Caldwell Street area, one of which he could remember falling down as a boy.

"Bristol Street’s notorious holes have appeared ever since a stormwater drain was laid in the 1950s. It goes back at least as far as the Borough of Moe days, and may actually have been laid by the old Shire of Narracan when Moe was part of the Shire prior to 1955," Cr Jenkins said.

"Because square ended round pipes were used to form the drain, where the drain turned corners, angular gaps were left in the drain. When there was a significant downfall of rain, the compacted fill around the gaps would be eroded by water under pressure, a cavity would form and eventually it would grow large enough for the surface soil to subside and a hole would form. It was one of those holes I fell down as a boy," Cr Jenkins explained.

"This Council recognised that Bristol Street was plagued by an engineering deficiency from the 1950’s, and installed a new drain in Bristol Street last year, which bypassed the area subject to collapse. The old drain was earmarked for removal at a time when roadworks were likely to be carried out in the street.

"While stormwater no longer creates subsidence from within, there has still been a collapse of surrounding fill into the cavity, and this has caused the recent holes to appear. While the simple solution seemed to be to remove the old drain, this in itself could cause a further problem as one of Gippsland Water’s water mains is to some extent supported by the concrete drain," Cr Jenkins said.

"Our engineers worked hard on a solution last week which I am happy to say permanently solves the problem, and incidentally at about one-third the estimated cost to ratepayers of removing the old drain.

"The old pipeline section has been breached at both its ends and at a couple of points along the section, and a special aerated, lean concrete slurry has been poured into the drain. This has completely filled the drain and any cavities that may have developed alongside. It has also negated the need to remove the drain and disturb the asbestos water main," Cr Jenkins said.

"Council was very disappointed to discover that a number of residents were unnecessarily alarmed by a radio news broadcast on Wednesday which reported that the Bristol Street holes had been left open. This was not the case as the holes were filled with soil as a temporary measure on the previous Thursday, to ensure short-term citizen’s safety.

"Latrobe City is happy to say that a permanent solution to this problem has now been addressed. We thank the residents of Bristol Street and Caldwell Street for their consideration and patience while this very important work has been completed," Cr Jenkins concluded.

Source: www.gippsland.com

Published by: latrobecity@gippslander.com