UPDATE | Sewer line work finished, Mahoning Avenue reopened

YOUNGSTOWN — After the collapse of water and sewer lines and a major sinkhole closed Mahoning Avenue for more than two weeks, the street reopened today.

The repair work to one of the most-traveled streets on the city’s West Side is estimated to cost $260,000 with the state providing a grant of up to 80 percent of the cost. The grant’s maximum amount is $213,479.

Utility Contracting Co., the Youngstown company hired by the city to make the repairs, worked 16-hour days to get the work done, said Charles Shasho, deputy director of public works.

“The sewer line was done a few days ago and it was paved” Tuesday, he said. “The road is patched up and we’re good to go.”

The city closed the Frank Sinkwich Bridge on Mahoning Avenue between Glenwood and McKinley avenues Oct. 28 to make repairs after a sinkhole — about 25 feet across and 15 feet deep — developed.

The broken lines and sinkhole, along with heavy rain, caused sewage back up in the basements of a dozen or so houses on Whitney Avenue.

The cleanup work and the expense of paying for replacement furnaces and hot-water heaters is about $70,000 with the city paying those costs.