Truck removed but ground under this serene Phillipsburg neighborhood could be quietly collapsing

Overnight crews successfully and safely removed the dump truck that was engulfed by a sinkhole at the intersection of Lewis Street and Summit Avenue in Phillipsburg.

Repair crews remained on site throughout the night to address remaining issues at the intersection, the town announced online.

Engineers in the area said they hope to see the street safely opened to traffic again within the week. Repairs could be finished by Sunday, a site manager for Van Cleef Engineering said.

As of noon Friday, gas and water service was temporarily cut to the area impacted by construction to repair the sinkholes on the street.

It is the latest step in repairing a series of sinkholes that have wreaked havoc all week in this quiet neighborhood and led the town to declare a State of Emergency.

Multiple pink paint lines, delineations created by engineers handling the situation, indicate voids or hollowed areas beneath the streets.

The initial sinkholes opened Monday and the truck helping make repairs dropped into a new sinkhole Tuesday.

Residents began showing up Wednesday to the town hall on Fillmore Street demanding to know more. They told lehighvalleylive.com they’ve been left in the dark.

The owner of the townhome at 25 Summit Ave. said her tenant alerted her Tuesday to the orange evacuation notice posted to her doorway.

On Friday, Nicole Allegar visited her property and watched from the curb, at a loss at what she should do next. She plans to speak with her insurance company, but “I’m not ready to hear them tell me they can’t help,” Allegar said.

Allegar said she’s returned her tenant’s security deposit. She didn’t know her neighbors’ tenants or their whereabouts.

The front yard at 35 Summit Ave. showed it had already given way, exposing Elizabethtown gas lines, after the dump truck dropped through the street Tuesday afternoon. Cracks in the home’s porch and foundation were also visible from the street.

Matt Noel, deputy director of municipal services, said he couldn’t confirm when or whether the occupants of the eight homes between 21 and 35 Summit Ave. will be able to move back inside or collect their belongings.

Most of those repairs are finished, and “our goal is to get as much as we can done” before the weather changes, engineers said Wednesday.

Almost 120 hours have passed since the sinkholes first appeared and crews for Montana Construction, Elizabethtown Gas, Aqua New Jersey, JCP&L, Van Cleef Engineering and more began around-the-clock work at the scene.

Carmen, who lives at 8 Summit Ave., said she and her husband have largely been unaffected by the sinkhole.

She’s disabled but the town’s support has allowed them to meet their needs, and her daughter in Easton has been keeping her updated.

She moved to the street more than a decade ago from New York because she fell in love with Phillipsburg, the serenity of her quiet neighborhood and the dazzling views of the Delaware River she could enjoy from her porch near Chambers Street.

She never imagined something like this could happen near her, she said, “It makes me scared.”

She said her neighbors at 15 Summit Ave. and Cynthia C. Tucker at 12 Summit Ave. evacuated their homes, but were able to return.

Tucker said she left her home on Thursday evening with her four-month old child after two days without water.

“We tried to stick it out,” Tucker said, “No one would tell us anything and we’ve never experienced anything like this before.”

She said the whole handling of the situation has been frustrating

Neighbors near the corner of Summit Avenue and Lewis Street also chose to stick out the disruptions that made their homes uncomfortably cold, dark and dry places to be this week.

A resident at 14 Summit Ave. said cracks near his home on Dugan Alley only recently began to appear and that the road was recently worked on.

The town’s municipal director confirmed the resident’s observation and said it is actively working to stabilize the area and and address remaining issues at the intersection, including replacing the water main and backfilling the existing holes.

Summit Avenue has been a hotspot for construction, residents said, and the roadways on Chambers Street, Lewis Street, Summit Avenue and Dugan Alley were constantly being dug up.

Karen and John at 4 Lewis St., use oil to fuel their home. After seeing the ground give way around them, Karen said she’s even more nervous about what could happen next.

They were both disappointed they missed the truck’s removal after waiting up late into the night to witness the feat.