Spokane recycling truck falls through hole in street

The front end of a City of Spokane solid waste recycling truck fell into a hole after it stopped to pick up a cart near the South Perry District on Friday morning.

The driver was on the normal route for curbside services when the truck stopped to pick up a recycling cart on Laura Street between 8th and Newark avenues, according to public works communications director Kirstin Davis.

The Grain Shed bakery is nearby.

The asphalt gave way underneath, causing the front of the truck to fall into a hole, Davis said in an email.

A tow truck removed the truck from the hole and towed it away. Davis said the driver was uninjured, and the truck appears to have minimal, cosmetic damage.

Davis said a water main break in a 6-inch cast iron pipe is believed to be the cause of the street fracture. The pipes in this area were installed in 1935.

When the main broke, it washed away the dirt and gravel underneath the asphalt, causing it to weaken and collapse when the 40,000-pound truck was on the street in that location.

Laura Street from 8th to Newark avenues was closed as city and tow crews worked.

Crews fixed the water main and didn’t find any problems with the sewer system, Davis wrote. She said the street was expected to open Friday.