Better late than never, when it comes to fixing a sinkhole in a residential driveway that happened after the city dug it up.

An ongoing puzzle for homeowners is finding the line that divides their property from the municipal road allowance. That line always crosses their driveway, if they have one.

In the inner city, where most front yards are small, the road allowance can extend a long way toward the house; the city is responsible for fixing any problems on its side of the line, while homeowners are on the hook for anything on their side.

Residents think of the entire driveway as theirs, but the city can do whatever it likes within the road allowance, including digging up a brand-new driveway paid for by the homeowner.

That may partially explain why the city seems to have been reluctant to fix a sinkhole in a private driveway on St. Hubert Ave., which started to collapse after a contractor excavated it to repair a water main.

Mindy Coplevitch sent us a note and photos of a sinkhole in her driveway, marked by orange paint and arrows, as if someone intended for it to be fixed at a later date.

The sinkhole developed in an area that had earlier been fixed with an asphalt patch, after “the city had broken the asphalt to get to the water main,” said Coplevitch, adding she first reported in to 311 on July 8.

“I called again on July 27 for a status update. I was informed that my file is closed because it exceeded ‘the warranty.’

“I am now at a loss,” she said, noting she also complained about it to her city councillor’s office, but it “has not made progress in rectifying this dangerous situation.”

We went there and found a hole topped with gravel just far enough up the driveway that it might be on or very close to the property line, providing the city with a way to dodge fixing it.

Status: We sent a note about it to Toronto Water. Whatever the reason for the foot-dragging, we got a reply on Wednesday saying staff had looked into it and “will undertake restorations to the driveway. Work should be completed by the end of this week.”

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