Cleveland officials unable to explain land crack mystery

June 30, 2011 – CLEVELAND — It’s about 2 inches wide and just as deep, stretching from Ontario to East Sixth Street and running the length of the new Medical Mart construction. Fear of the unknown may run much deeper. The point man for Medical Mart construction, Jeff Appelbaum, says he can’t say yet what the cause of the crack is or what the contributing factors are. Appelbaum isn’t passing on or shouldering the blame, but the construction team is investigating the cause. Appelbaum says the excavation is supported by a massive dirt mound and earth anchors on the north side of St. Clair Avenue. Still, the street split this seam. “We’re monitoring for movement in the street. We’re monitoring to see if there is movement in the wall of the excavation,” Applebaum said. “If there has been movement it’s not visible to the naked eye. So if you look at the excavation, you wouldn’t see any movement.” The city is taking it seriously enough to close the north side of the street and allow only eastbound traffic through. Three police officers are keeping a close eye on the crack and a closer eye on those who get near it. Until the experts can determine what is causing the street to split, Appelbaum says the priorities are to maintain traffic flow and ensure the street stay protected. They expect to get to the root of the problem here in the next 72 hours. In the meantime, construction continues on schedule. –WKYC