Route 51 Water Main Break Impacting Businesses & Drivers
PITTSBURGH (KDKA) - Part of Route 51 is still shut down after an accident sheared off a fire hydrant Tuesday night.
A tractor-trailer ran into the hydrant in Brentwood last night, sending water spewing into the air and leaving dozens of businesses without water.
It's been a long night and day for Penn American Water crews working to restore service. The water flowed a bit longer than normal because of a faulty valve up the street failed to stop the flow and had to be replaced.
KDKA's John Shumway Reports:
One southbound lane of Route 51 will remain closed through at least the late evening hours today.
Signs were posted on the front doors of several shops along Route 51, from Goodwill to the Sunoco.
Dunkin' Donuts wasn't spared either.
"Dining room is closed just because of the limited service that we have, but we are able to operate the drive-thru," Dunkin' Donuts' Marketing Manager Mike Zappone said.
The gushing sound of water from a broken main is not uncommon this time of year, but this break was a little different.
"A motorist struck a hydrant (earlier this evening), which caused the break on the 16-inch main," Gary Lobaugh of Penn American Water said.
About 50 customers were affected.
New hydrants lay beside the massive hole on Route 51, which continued to fill with water through Wednesday morning.
A pump was constantly running to clear the water. Meanwhile, some businesses, like Dunkin' Donuts modified service to at least remain open.
"Operating limited, yes. As long as we're bringing in products and bringing in water from off-site, we're able to operate and we're in contact at all times with the necessary authorities," Zappone said.
KDKA's Heather Abraham Reports:
By mid-afternoon, some of the water was coming back on, and that allowed Dunkin' Donuts to reopen its dining area.
While Penn American Water was installing two new valves, working to decrease the number of homes and business affected, a gas line was hit at the intersection of Route 51 and Delco Road.
Columbia Gas officials said that no one lost service during that time. The new valves were expected to be installed by mid-afternoon.
Meanwhile, crews will work into the night to first get the repairs made to the water main, and then the right lane of southbound 51 rebuilt, and with a hole that size; it's not a quick process.
Join The Conversation On The KDKA Facebook Page
Stay Up To Date, Follow KDKA On Twitter