Emma-Cumberland could reopen in two weeks

Orange fencing surrounds a sinkhole on the northeast corner of Emma Avenue and Cumberland Street in Cornwall, Ont. Monday April 11, 2017. A culvert partially failed underneath the intersection and will take a few months to replace, according to the city's head of infrastructure. (Newswatch Group/Bill Kingston)

CORNWALL – The city says a temporary repair should be in place within a couple of weeks to get the intersection at Emma Avenue and Cumberland Avenue back open to traffic.

The intersection has been shut down since April 6 after a partial collapse and sinkholes in part of the road and the green strip next to the sidewalk.

A steel culvert, 2 meters (6.5 feet) in diameter and 30 meters (98 feet) long, gave way during the massive runoff from a deluge of rain the region received.

The city said Friday (May 12) is has a “temporary repair” to allow the intersection to reopen, but it needs to hire a contractor to get the work done.

It’s anticipated the intersection would reopen in about two weeks.

The long term fix – the culvert replacement – will cost around $500,000.