UPDATED at 9:45 a.m. today to correct lane closures

The collapse of a storm sewer on Tuesday in the middle of a heavily traveled road in downtown Seymour may take as much as a week or more to repair.

The collapsed storm sewer is in the inside eastbound lane and the turning lane of Tipton Street between Pine Street and Walnut Street in front of Schneck Medical Center.

Construction needs have led to the closure of the turning lane and the inside eastbound lane on the federal highway. Westbound traffic is unimpeded through the area.

Jarin Gladstein, director of Seymour Water Pollution Control, said the collapse’s location in a high-traffic area may have occurred as the result of wear and tear over time.

“Underneath the storm sewer is some old brick and mortar that deteriorated over time and eventually undermined, causing the collapse,” he said.

Gladstein said workers with Lawyer Excavation Inc. of Seymour are excavating the area to replace the brick with a concrete structure and a new plastic pipe to replace the clay tile pipe that undermined with the collapse.

“We are working together with the Indiana Department of Transportation and the Department of Public Works to solve this issue,” Gladstein said.