Massive hole leaves massive headaches in Lansingburgh

While public utilities crews in Troy are left with a massive hole to fill, several city residents are left with massive homeowner headaches after millions of gallons of water escaped from a ruptured underground water main on Monday. That caused severe damage to their properties.

A large hole remained in the middle of 124th Street on Tuesday, a half block east, up the hill from 6th Avenue.

For certain homeowners in this community, it might be an uphill battle waiting for repairs and returning to normalcy.

Those who witnessed the early Monday afternoon onrush will tell you 124th Street looked more like a white-water rafting course than a city street.

“You could have taken a kayak and – literally – just hopped in and landed on 5th Avenue,” Troy City Council President Carmella Mantello said.

The water was powerful and relentless, washing away anything in its way, causing upheavals in the pavement, destroying driveways, sidewalks and landscaping. It also left behind destruction, debris and sediment, along with lots of bad memories.

“Seeing it in the moment of when the water is still coming out of the ground, and you’re just seeing that millions upon millions of gallons of water just coming out, running down the road, it’s shocking. It’s definitely different seeing it while it’s happening,” Alney Tobias of Lansingburgh said.

Juan Rosada’s house at the corner of 124th and 6th Avenue was directly in the path of destruction. His house and his garage are still standing, but the property damage is significant, and he doesn’t think he’ll drive his treasured cherry red Corvette Stingray ever again.

“As far as these cars go, water damage is like the worst for them and the end of them,” said Rosada. “Besides mechanical, it’s just too much damage and too much repair and extensive diagnostics to even bother. So I’m pretty sure it’s going to get totaled out.”

Water service had been restored citywide by noon on Tuesday. Repairs still need to be made to a ruptured sewer line. A boil water advisory remained in place.

“Troy is not unique in being a centuries old city. All across New England and all across New York, you’ve got cities that are just as old with just as old infrastructure, and it’s reliable,” said Frank Sainato.

There’s no specific timetable for when the massive hole will be filled in. The sewer line needs to be repaired.

Because of the upheaval in the pavement, the entire road needs to ripped up and redone.