ST. LOUIS – Crews contracted by the Metropolitan St. Louis Sewer District (MSD) continued their efforts to repair a collapsed sewer line underneath Cass Avenue between 17^th and 18^th Streets on Wednesday.

A spokesperson for MSD said that that section of the sewer system is more than 100 years old. 

The sinkhole was first noticed Friday. Another sinkhole recently formed in south St. Louis on Park Avenue.

MSD estimates repairs to the site on Park Avenue will take 2-3 weeks.  

The Cass Avenue site was expected to take about a month, although MSD reported crews were making progress Wednesday.

St. Louis Alderman Rasheen Aldridge is working with St. Louis Mayor Cara Spencer and Representative Wesley Bell to see if more can be done to prevent future sinkholes. 

All three elected leaders came to the Cass site on Wednesday.

Bell promised to fight for any available federal funds to improve the city’s infrastructure, although he said it’s too soon to know what the best remedy will be.

“This is a priority,” Bell said.

Spencer said city workers responded promptly when notified sinkholes were forming.

She added the sinkholes along Cass and Park Avenues are MSD’s responsibility. The mayor thanked city residents for reporting the sinkhole when it began forming.

“We want residents to feel confident that when an emergency like this takes place, the city can take action,” she said.

Spencer said MSD is working to identify other vulnerable spots where a sinkhole might form. 

An MSD spokesperson said the utility company routinely inspects its system and is already investing more than $7 billion over 15 years to help comply with the Clean Water Act.  

She said it’s not financially feasible to replace all the sections of the sewer system that are more than 100 years old.