Ross issues emergency declaration to fix sink hole near apartment complex

Ross officials signed an emergency declaration Friday morning authorizing the township to repair a large sink hole at the entrance to an apartment complex that opened when heavy storms hit the region the day before.

The sink hole on McKnight Circle, which leads from McKnight Road into the Waldorf Park apartments, was created when water flowing through an underground stormwater line blew out a manhole cover and caused the pavement above to collapse, according to township public works officials.

The July 11 storms created a 10-foot hole in the ground measuring about 30 feet by 10 feet in circumference.

The sink hole is close enough to McKnight Road that residents and visitors to the apartment complex can bypass it by using the entrance and exit to the Chick-fil-a restaurant.

The emergency order was issued because there is disagreement between the township and the ownership of the apartment complex about who is responsible for maintaining and repairing the road, said Steve Korbel, president of the township board of commissioners.

“The building’s owners contend that the property where the sink hole is located was deeded over to the township a number of years ago,” Korbel said. “We think it’s in the best interest of residents that the problem is fixed instead of waiting to determine the ownership of the land.”

Initial work will involve removing debris from the sink hole to ensure that stormwater can continue to flow if it rains before a permanent fix is completed.

The underground storm line runs along the southbound lanes of McKnight and then crosses under the roadway and discharges into Girty’s Run behind the Red Lobster restaurant.

The township is still determining how much the repairs will cost, but Korbel noted a similar repair project conducted several years ago was in the $200,000 range to complete.