Public Works gets ready to fix 12th Ave. hole

Drivers on the southeast side of town should prepare for detours next week, according to a press release from the Havre Public Works Department.

From Wednesday, July 27, to Friday, July 29, the city will repair the hole in the middle of 12th Avenue between Spruce Drive and 12th Street.

"We're going from one side to the other, it could be up to three days, " said Dave Peterson, director of Public Works. "Everybody will have access to all of the roads up there. They just won't be able to use that as a route from the north end to the south end. "

The section in question erupted this spring, and traffic has been disrupted by a small crater, surrounded by orange and white city barricades, ever since.

The hole in the road is the only visible part of a large soft spot underneath 12th Avenue, mostly as a result of this year's unusual amount of water in the ground, from rain falling and snow melting.

Peterson said that the city is moving forward with this project "because it's a route that is used by a lot of people, " while they wait to hear back from the Federal Emergency Management Agency about receiving federal funds for other projects on the rest of the streets.

"We're still waiting for FEMA to come in and see if we can get some funding for those projects, " Peterson said. "We've filled out all of the paperwork on that, but they haven't given any indication yet. "