Water main break causes craters on busy road in Lawrenceville
A major water main break on 40th Street caused problems for some drivers and people who live on the busy stretch of road in Lawrenceville. Part of 40th Street between Penn Avenue and Butler Street shut down during rush hour Thursday because of the break.
Water poured down 40th, causing part of the road to buckle. At least four gaping crater-like holes were also left in the asphalt.
“It’s kind of incredible how destroyed it is,” said Casidhe Hutchison, who lives on the corner of Penn Avenue and 40th. “It’s all along the length here. There’s just eruptions out of the ground.”
Water gushed up from those cracks in the street, quickly breaking it apart, according to an officer. That officer said at one point, the street looked like a waterfall. He couldn’t believe how quickly part of the road crumbled.
“I think it’s scary that something can happen in a matter of minutes, where it’s been fine for years and all of a sudden, boom! Something let’s go,” said Cliff Kelley, who lives in York Commons on Penn Avenue.
The water main break closed the busy stretch of road down just after 5 p.m.
“This is a very, very, very, busy street,” said James Satterwhite, who lives in York Commons on Penn Avenue. “There’s not a time in which you don’t see traffic coming up and down the street. It’s very inconvenient.”
Crews from the Pittsburgh Water and Sewer Authority drained the lines and shut the water off a couple of hours later. The senior manager of public affairs for the company told Channel 11 the extreme heat could have put added pressure on the lines causing the break.
“I think it’s a major concern to have a water break in the middle of the day like this,” Kelley said. “It’s certainly affecting people.”
Because of the break, the water had to be shut off at Canterbury Place, an assisted living home for seniors located off Penn Avenue. The water and sewer authority dropped off pallets of water to the residents.
Several people who live nearby said this has happened on 40th Street before. They said the lines ruptured about eight months ago.
“The hill was closed then,” Hutchison said. “They had to dig it up, patch it, and then lay down some asphalt. I guess it held for a while, but I guess it stopped holding.”
The water and sewer authority said they can’t confirm if the lines that broke this time are the same ones from several months ago and are working to find out the exact cause.
Until then, some kids playing in the water were making the most of the mess.
Crews will be working around the clock to repair the lines and expect to have everything fixed by 4 a.m. Friday.
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