ST. LOUIS – A street collapse in north St. Louis has exposed an underground creek that was turned into a sewer line prior to being paved over in the 1800s. Neighbors are learning the history and what’s being done to fix it.
At the intersection of Branch Street and Knapp Street in old north St. Louis, a ground collapse occurred after part of the road caved in. The section revealed a hidden underground creek that had been converted into a sewer line and covered up more than a century ago as part of urban development.
The Metropolitan Sewer District says the sewer line below the street, about 16 feet down, needs repair. MSD’s Bess McCoy explains that creek-to-sewer conversions are not out of the ordinary, historically…