ST. LOUIS — There was a huge hole right in the middle of a south St. Louis street on Tuesday morning.
The hole, which is now covered by temporary boards, happened in the Dogtown neighborhood, famously known for its St. Patrick's Day parade.
But now, the focus is on fixing the problem on Nashville Avenue.
Metropolitan St. Louis Sewer District (MSD) received a call on Saturday that water was spewing out in the area.
When the water was shut off, crews discovered the sewer pipe underneath was washed out.
An MSD spokesperson said on Wednesday that they originally believed it was connected to the water main break nearby, but realized after opening up the hole that there were poor soil conditions surrounding the old sewer pipe that likely caused the road to cave in. MSD believes Sunday's storm was the last straw that contributed to the collapse.
On Tuesday, MSD crews were working to wedge a new pipe 12 feet below.
An MSD spokesperson said they should be done by Wednesday or Thursday and then the road needs to be patched up.
Around the corner, Pat Rutherford-Pettine sits on her quaint porch in Dogtown and acknowledges her love for St. Louis.
"We always came to St. Louis for food, food is our life," Rutherford-Pettine said.
So much so, the owner settled in the area in 1999 and opened Sugaree Baking Company. After 27 years, she sold the business at the end of 2022.
Now the retiree is trying to relax. Yet, the aging infrastructure around her troubles her.
"The streets are a mess. They're doing quick fix," she added.
Just around the corner on Nashville Avenue, loud noises fill the air Tuesday morning.
Thomas Walker has lived here for three years and now has a new, unexpected neighbor. A huge hole sits on the road a few feet away.
"It looks like it could swallow up a good-sized car," Walker said. "Nashville Avenue is a big connector to go west to east of the neighborhood, pretty busy with cars."
While this may be the newest eyesore, Walker has felt the impact of a bigger headache.
A water main broke and flooded Interstate 64 in May.
"I've noticed my pressure has gone down quite a bit probably a month now. It seems outdated and old. It seems like they are piecing it together and it's like, where is it going to break next?" Walker said.
Rutherford-Pettine shared that her neighbor is still having water pressure issues, as well.
"I know this guy can’t take a shower yet," she said.
This most recent issue comes at a time when the city faces multiple water main break problems.
St. Louis Board Bill 49, which recently got initial approval, proposes a historic 44% water rate increase. It would implement a two-time, phased-in rate increase of $5 per month.
The water rate increase would cover the $400 million price tag to fix the city's water infrastructure for the long term.
Walker said he loves St. Louis and knows these issues need to be fixed but struggles with the idea of a steep price hike.
"That all adds up when you're paycheck to paycheck, especially for me and everyone else with everything else going up. Sometimes your wage doesn't keep up with that inflation. It's like, 'what is next?'" he said.
As for Rutherford-Pettine, she'll pay to find peace.
"I'm going to retirement now and that matters to me for sure. It's okay, I'll survive. I won't go to Starbucks," Rutherford-Pettine said.
Board Bill 49 still needs one more vote before it goes to the mayor's desk.