Qld: Telstra blamed for monster pothole in Qld city
26 Mar 2009 2:37 PM
BRISBANE, March 26 AAP - Telstra is being blamed for a room-sized hole gouged out under the bitumen of the main intersection in the regional Queensland city of Ipswich.
The city's mayor Paul Pisasale on Thursday said the six metre square hole would cost the city $750,000.
Council officers allege the damage began when Telstra failed to fix a main stormwater drain after they worked in the area a few years ago.
"They didn't put the drain back together," Mr Pisasale said.
The mayor said the council would seek damages to recover the cost of repairs.
He said the city, just west of Brisbane, was very lucky that the sudden appearance of the large hole in the middle of its main intersection did not cause a tragedy.
The leaking water main scoured a massive hole under the roadway on Wednesday.
Mr Pisasale said only a girder, installed by American troops during World War II to allow tanks to travel through the area, had prevented vehicles from falling into the hole.
"Imagine how drastic the situation could have been - the whole intersection washed out," he told AAP.
Mr Pisasale said council workers had toiled through the night to secure gas lines, Telstra services and the leaking water main.
The intersection joins the shopping precinct of North Ipswich to the city's CBD and is on the main road to Brisbane.
The hole is now being filled and the bitumen relaid.
Mr Pisasale said it was hoped to have repairs completed by 6pm on Thursday.
Comment was being sought from Telstra.
