Fishtown, We Have a Problem

If you happen to be walking down Front Street in Fishtown, watch your step.  Last weeks winter weather caused a bit of a problem.  A six-inch water mane broke and left as many as twenty homes without water.  It also forced a number of commuters to detours around the city.  The street was closed off for drivers, and Front Street remains closed between Berks and Masters Street.  

The sinkhole also affected many SEPTA riders. Those riding the Market-Frankfort Line were shuttled between 5th Street and Berks Street Stations.  This was due to a support beam for the elevated train rails that was located in close proximity to the washout.  After a few hours, crews had determined that the support beam had not been affected, train service was resumed as normal.  

Repairing of the water mane took only a few hours, however, as this picture shows, refilling the hole may take some time, leaving the area closed for transport for the immediate future.

One group of people the sinkhole has really become a burden for are the regulars of "The El Bar," which sits on the corner of Front Street.  Because the street has been blocked off from cars, many of the patrons are forced to look for parking off Front Street, and this has forced them into longer walks in the cold weather than they are normally used to.  But as one regular put it, "It's going to take a lot more than the earth being swallowed up to make me decide not to stop in for a beer."  

This wasn't the first time Fishtown has dealt with sinkholes. A little more than a year ago, in nearly the same location, a sinkhole disrupted the commute for a brief amount of time.  Other areas have seen their fair share of sinkholes as well, but many of those passing through the neighborhood believed this was the largest they had seen in Fishtown.  

Group 20

Amanda Geronikos, Justin Elson, Connor McCormick