Commuter Alert: Water Main Break Shuts Down Route 4 In Fort Lee
FORT LEE, N.J. (CBSNewYork) -- Crews worked into the night to repair a water main break that closed a section of Route 4 early Wednesday morning.
Motorists were told to expect major delays. Approaching George Washington Bridge traffic was still being diverted from Route 4 eastbound onto Grand Avenue, CBS2's Charlie Cooper reported.
The eight-inch water main broke at around 3 a.m., causing water to rush onto the road. The ramps onto Route 4 eastbound from Grand Avenue, Jones Road and Kenwood Avenue were still closed and detoured as of 5 p.m.
NJDOT Traffic Advisory -- Route 4 eastbound all lanes closed and detoured for emergency watermain repairs in Ft. Lee approaching the GWB. For detour, read more: https://t.co/NHlhr85uAX
— NJDOT (@NewJerseyDOT) December 11, 2019
Suez Water and New Jersey Department of Transportation crews were on the scene and were working all day to make repairs. They were expected to continue to do so until the roadway is reopened.
Motorists wishing to travel eastbound on Route 4 toward the GWB will be directed to take the Grand Avenue/Route 93 south exit.
- At the end of the ramp, turn right onto Grand Avenue/Rt. 93 south
- Take Grand Avenue/Rt. 93 south
- Turn right on at the traffic signal onto Degraw Avenue
- Take the ramp to I-95 south
- Stay left for I-95 south/Route 46/NJ Turnpike The Ridgefields
- Take Exit 68 – Route 46/The Ridgefields
- Stay right for Route 46/The Ridgefields
- Use the left lane to get on Route 46 east
- Follow Route 46 east to I-95 north/George Washington Bridge
Click here for real-time updates.
As much as the water main break impacted drivers it also caused issues for those living and staying in the surrounding area.
"The first thing I realized was that there was no water in the hotel. The water was completely shut down. No running water, shower, toilet, anything, so I knew something was wrong," Alan Hubert said.
"This is like tremendously inconvenient. I hope this is something short term they can fix right away. Let's hope for the better," Roberto Rivera Sr. added.
"The traffic has been insane. I live on Grand Avenue and it's just very difficult to get around," Glenn Pappas added.
"I was just stuck here, for 45 minutes," Jack Stankiewicz said.
There was no immediate word on what caused the break and a representative with the DOT said it's hard to gauge how long it would take to fix it.