Cazenovia, NY -- A landslide that has restricted traffic to one lane on Lincklaen Road in the town of Cazenovia may not look serious to passers-by. But town officials say repairing the damage will require either a significant investment or the closure of a well-used route between the village of Cazenovia and Chittenango Falls. The shoulder of the road...
View full sizeA landslide has restricted traffic to one lane on Lincklaen Street in the town of Cazenovia.Cazenovia, NY -- A landslide that has restricted traffic to one lane on Lincklaen Road in the town of Cazenovia may not look serious to passers-by. But town officials say repairing the damage will require either a significant investment or the closure of a well-used route between the village of Cazenovia and Chittenango Falls.
The shoulder of the road was washed out June 30 when nearly 3 inches of rain fell in less than 45 minutes, said town highway superintendent Tim Hunt. The next morning, the steep hill gave way, exposing support beams and washing out the foundation of the guardrail which protects vehicles from a nearly 140-foot drop.
Engineers have determined that the remaining road is stable enough for traffic. But town officials said fixing the problem won’t happen overnight because none of the proposed solutions is simple.
“There is no quick, easy, inexpensive repair,” said Hunt, who asked for patience as officials study several options that include repair, remediation and slope stabilization as well as road closure.
The area is not new to flooding. In 2007, when the weight of rain and heavy snow caused an embankment to collapse, human remains from about six to eight graves in St. James Cemetery spilled onto Lincklaen Road, along with mud and other debris.
The recent storm also caused the retention pool in the nearby Summerfield subdivision to overflow, Hunt said.