Pelham sinkhole

A Pelham road has caved in creating a gaping hole. The entire width of Chantler Road crumbled Monday night and repairs are expected to last up to three weeks. The hole is several feet deep and there are multiple crevices where it caved in. The cracks stretch all the way from one shoulder to another. The cracking pieces have now been broken off.

You can see right into the culverts that run underneath the road. Water started to flow around them and town officials say that eroded the pavement causing it to cave in around the pipes.

The culverts are about 25-years old and Mayor Dave Augustyn says they are inspected every three years. He says there was no indication that the stretch of road was at risk of breaking. A harsh winter and higher than normal spring run off is being blamed for water erosion that caused the collapse.

Luckily, no one was injured when the pavement caved in. Police taped off Chantler between Cream and Balfour Streets Monday night and since then, the town has put up a blockade. It could remain up for between one and three weeks depending on how long it takes to order replacement pipes. But residents aren’t focused on the inconvenience, they’re just glad no one was hurt.

Adam Sarvis lives beside the road collapse: “This is a road that gets traveled on quite a bit. Safety concerns. But I’m happy the town has put out lights and blocked off the area.”

Until the area can be repaved, the town of Pelham is asking drivers and curious pedestrians to stay far away from the hole. It’s been unpredictable since it first collapsed last night there is a risk that it could expand.