Title
Emergency Storm Sewer Replacement at 13841 Southwest Highway
History
On Friday, September 25, 2026, Public Works crews responded to a sinkhole that formed in the parking lot at 13841 Southwest Highway. The initial investigation showed that the sinkhole formed over the Village’s storm sewer system which in this section is constructed of corrugated metal pipe (CMP). This pipe drains everything east of the railroad tracks to the waterway along Southwest Highway. Further investigation revealed that the CMP has multiple failures. Large holes in the pipe are causing water to erode the ground on the outside causing the sinkholes.
The initial sinkhole in the parking lot was backfilled with two (2) loads of stone utilizing a one-ton dump truck to make it temporarily safe for vehicle traffic. In the meantime, another sinkhole has formed on the east side of the parking lot. Patching the CMP will be a temporary solution, but full replacement will immediately be necessary since the site continues to settle and lose dirt and stone making the parking lot unsafe for vehicles.
Due to this situation being an emergency and a safety issue that posed an imminent threat to the public, the competitive solicitation process was not used. However, the maximum practical competitive solicitation in this circumstance was engaged. The Utilities Division reached out to three (3) vendors via email to solicit a price quote to replace the CMP and patch the parking lot. The results are as follows:
Airy’s Inc. of Joliet, Illinois - $96,725.00
Sheridan Plumbing and Sewer of Bedford Park, Illinois - $98,585.00
Bisping Construction of New Lenox, Illinois - $121,422.33
The lowest proposal was from Airy’s Inc. of Joliet, Illinois, which was contracted to replace the thirty-six inch (36”) CMP with C-900 plastic watermain pipe. The Village has utilized Airy’s Inc. for emergency repair work for over the last twenty-five (25) years. As the Village’s primary emergency response contractor for ...
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