Water main rupture closes, damages University Avenue
Thousands of gallons of water from a busted main Wednesday evening blocked both southbound lanes of North University Avenue in Little Rock and poured through a busy intersection.
Central Arkansas Water spokesman Doug Shackelford said crews would likely work overnight to fix the pipeline, but the river of water did severe damage to the roadway, which will likely take longer to repair.
Shackelford said the break happened about 5:45 p.m. just north of Evergreen Drive. The cause of the rupture was not known late Wednesday.
By 7 p.m. about 10 utility workers were out turning off water valves in the affected area, which Shackelford said would stop water running to the area and allow crews to begin tearing up the pavement to see where the break originated.
If the pipe can be closed off with a clamp, Shackelford said, a three-worker crew could fix the rupture and use cold patches to temporarily repair part of the roadway overnight.
If the break is larger and requires a new section of pipe to be installed, Shackelford said, the repairs could take longer.
Stretches of pavement on North University Avenue lay separated and broken into chunks Wednesday evening. In one section, the damage crossed the entire width of the roadway. Shackelford said the rushing water “catches” in every existing pothole and divot, and creates small sinkholes and large, gaping cracks in the roadway.
City spokesman Lamor
Williams said that because the pipe belongs to Central Arkansas Water, the utility will be responsible for all traffic diversion, and roadway and water system repairs related to the rupture.
Shackelford said a contractor had been contacted to place road signs, traffic cones and divert traffic in the area. He did not know late Wednesday if traffic would still be disrupted today.
As of 9 p.m., a utility foreman had not determined whether the damage would be repairable overnight, Shackelford said.
Little Rock traffic engineer Bill Henry said that if alternate routes are needed today, drivers could use Kavanaugh Boulevard and North Mississippi Street.
Crews were digging into the roadway late Wednesday to find the leak, a process Shackelford said was slowed by having to avoid gas lines and other underground obstacles.
The utility will make only temporary repairs to the roadway, Shackelford said, and will hire an outside company to repair the asphalt and get the roadway back up to city code.
The utility has already contacted a company to repair the roadway as soon as the waterline is fixed, he said late Wednesday.
Shackelford said Central Arkansas Water has more than 2,500 miles of pipes in the state. He said it has not had a break of this size in several years.
The running water Wednesday blocked access to three homes along the southbound lane of North University Avenue for a time, Shackelford said.