{"id":228955,"date":"2016-09-16T00:00:00","date_gmt":"2016-09-16T07:00:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/sdnews.com\/mission-gorge-mess\/"},"modified":"2016-09-16T00:00:00","modified_gmt":"2016-09-16T07:00:00","slug":"mission-gorge-mess","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/test.sdnews.com\/es\/mission-gorge-mess\/","title":{"rendered":"Mission Gorge mess"},"content":{"rendered":"

Por Doug Curlee | Editor en general<\/p>\n

Engineers unsure what caused sinking roadway<\/strong><\/p>\n

When a major thoroughfare through north Grantville started to sink quickly this summer, it got the attention of city public works experts. They quickly moved to close down the median and the two inner lanes of the four-lane road, and started trying to figure out why it was happening.<\/p>\n

As of this writing, there is a problem: They still don\u2019t know why it happened.<\/p>\n

Engineers and repair crews started in on trying to figure it out on June 7, and they\u2019re still going at it today.<\/p>\n

That means the roadway between Greenbrier Avenue and Old Cliffs Road is still down to one narrow lane each way, north and south, and it\u2019s likely to remain that way for a while. It could be as long as October or even longer.<\/p>\n

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Construction on Mission Gorge Road is expected to continue at least through the fall. (Photo by Jeff Clemetson)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Area residents, and those who use the road daily, are somewhat less than pleased about it \u2014 some are considerably less than pleased.<\/p>\n

Frank didn\u2019t want his last name used, but he was willing to share his feelings about the condition of the road he\u2019s used for more than 20 years to get to work.<\/p>\n

\u201cJust call me \u2018Frank Highly P.O.\u2019d,\u2019\u201d he said as his truck idled at the Old Cliffs stoplight, part of a long single file of cars that stretched back out of sight on southbound Mission Gorge. \u201cThis is how I avoid both the 52 and Interstate 8, and now it\u2019s not working.\u201d<\/p>\n

The traffic problem has really affected Adele Puckingham, who lives on Greenbrier Avenue. She\u2019s had to scramble to find ways out of the area so she can get to her business.<\/p>\n

\u201cYou can do it, if you look for a way,\u201d she said. \u201cI\u2019ve been able to take the back streets around the neighborhood and wind up on Zion Avenue, which is south of the problem. It\u2019s either that or turn right and go north on Mission Gorge until you can turn around and get in the long line with everyone else.\u201d<\/p>\n

Her problem is compounded by the fact that she can no longer turn left onto Mission Gorge and go south, because that part of the Greenbrier intersection is shut down, and will be until the problem is finally fixed.<\/p>\n

But back to the problem. What is causing the street to sink?<\/p>\n

There is general agreement that, when something like this happens \u2014 a sinkhole or the start of one \u2014 the problem is almost always water being, and going, somewhere it isn\u2019t supposed to go.<\/p>\n

\"Traffic<\/a>
Traffic along Mission Gorge Road (Photo by Jeff Clemetson)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

The city just doesn\u2019t know where that water is coming from.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe just don\u2019t know yet,\u201d city information officer Scott Robinson said. \u201cWe\u2019re testing everything we can think of, and there are possibilities, but we\u2019re still doing test drilling and anything else that might help.\u201d<\/p>\n

The best Robinson can say right now is that the city hopes to have the problems, and the road, fixed this fall, with no firm date on the books yet.<\/p>\n

Where could the water be coming from?<\/p>\n

It could be that a 600-foot-long deep sewer line underneath the roadway could be damaged and leaking. If that\u2019s it, it will mean going down 25 feet beneath the surface to dig it up and fix it.<\/p>\n

The cause could also be a higher water table in the area \u2014 it is very close to the San Diego River channel.<\/p>\n

It could be underground springs that no one really knew about.<\/p>\n

It could be any of those. It could be a combination of any two factors. It could be all of them. It could be something totally different.<\/p>\n

Robinson says the cause will be found, and it will be fixed. He just can\u2019t say when.<\/p>\n

In the meantime, it is important to remember that the city has closed turn lanes at the intersection of Greenbriar Avenue and Mission Gorge Road and that the closures will impact the following turns:<\/p>\n