Update 2/27/26
A portion of 24th Street is completely closed in both directions, east of 142nd and west of the White River. This closure remains in effect until further notice. On Tuesday afternoon (2/24/26), the City was notified about a hole in the roadway. Upon inspection, we observed damage underneath the asphalt. Staff closed the roadway and notified adjacent warehouses. The next day, crews dewatered the 48 inch storm main and discovered that about 15 feet of the pipe had collapsed. Additionally, approximately 300 feet of the storm main was cracked and crushed resulting in failure.
This storm main drains about 1/3 of the Manufacturing Industrial Center to the White River. There is no way to redirect stormwater into another system, which means that when it rains, stormwater will need to be manually pumped into another line. Failure to do so would likely cause localized flooding. Further, impact to commerce and risk to an adjacent PSE gas line necessitate an immediate repair. Anticipated repair costs are approximately $900,000.
In order begin emergency repairs, Mayor Bowman has declared this an emergency situation with this proclemation, which will be presented to council for approval at the next regular council meeting on March 3.
This failure is likely tied to the December flood event. We will be tracking costs associated with repair, and if appropriate, report to FEMA as part of our flood damages.
