Canal trip in search of pipe damage
Although sewer pipes are protected underground, damage can still occur: Tree roots penetrate through the finest cracks and create fissures.
Obstacles can get caught and obstruct the flow or damage can occur due to material fatigue. Where the pipe diameter does not allow the responsible Stadtwerke Offenbach Stadtservice employees to inspect the sewer as it runs through, camera vehicles are used. They take pictures as they pass through. After their inspection, the team from the civil engineering department decides what needs to be repaired and where.
These camera vehicles are inserted through the manholes. To do this, the manhole covers have to be removed and the large vehicle with the camera technology parked in front of them. As the manholes are usually located in the street, there will be traffic obstructions in various streets in the city area from Monday, April 14 until probably Friday, May 2, with a focus on the Musikerviertel and Senefelderquartier. The sewer under the Nordring will be excavated on two nights to minimize disruption to the flow of traffic.
As the routes from manhole to manhole can be covered relatively quickly, even with a small camera vehicle, the closures usually only last up to an hour. During this time, however, the parking lanes at the level of the parking space for the camera vehicle must remain free in most cases. The parking ban is signposted in advance.