Agencies meet about Mt. Prospect sewer collapse

A sewer collapse 23 feet below Busse Road in Mount Prospect forced police to shut down the northbound lanes of the roadway Thursday afternoon, and it could take up to three weeks to fix the problem, officials said.

Police shut down the two northbound lanes of Busse Road at Algonquin, and left turns from Busse onto westbound Algonquin are prohibited during roadwork.

Representatives of the village, Illinois Department of Transportation and the Metropolitan Water Reclamation District of Greater Chicago planned to meet at 1:30 p.m. today to discuss the problem.

“We're all in communication working together, and a contractor is out there today opening up pavement to excavate the sewer and review damage,” MWRD spokeswoman Allison Fore said.

Police are urging motorists, especially those traveling during rush hour periods, to find alternate routes. The southbound lanes of Busse Road also will be periodically closed during repairs, according to police.

“It's bound to be a mess depending on the length of line that they are going to have to replace,” said Mount Prospect Police Deputy Chief Tim Janowick.

Fore said it will take up to a week to get construction started. An inspector will conduct a radar survey on Saturday to better determine the conditions beneath the pavement.

In the meantime, MWRD is proceeding with an emergency repair contract.

“The area there could collapse,” Janowick said, speaking of the roadway.

Workers with the Metropolitan Water Reclamation District of Greater Chicago were scoping the sewer line with a camera when they spotted the break Thursday afternoon, Janowick said.

The pipe that collapsed is 3 feet in diameter and runs north-south under Busse Road.

Daily Herald staff writer Kimberly Pohl contributed.