SALT LAKE CITY, Utah, July 21, 2017 (Gephardt Daily) — A water main break at Redwood Road and Indiana Avenue flooded the area Friday evening, closing the road and creating a lot of work for city crews.
Salt Lake City Fire Department Capt. Darren Baum said the break was in a 12-inch pipe that burst underground and forced water to gush to the surface, threatening some businesses in the area.
“We were able to get some diversions in, to divert (the water) away, so there was no damage to the businesses,” Baum said.
The crews used a 5-inch fire hose to carry the water away from any buildings, which he said is a procedure the fire department trains for, and one that works very well.
They also helped a nearby car lot move some of the vehicles being threatened by the rising water as crews arrived.
Baum credited the city’s water department for “a great response time” in shutting down the flow and stemming the flood.
He said southbound traffic will be down to at least one lane well into the night while repairs are being made. Not only does the asphalt have to be repaired, but the sidewalk, curb and gutter have to be removed and replaced.
Baum said keeping traffic moving safely is a priority, so despite the amount of work that needs to be done, traffic should be back to normal Saturday morning.
He also offered some advice.
“One thing we want the public to know — if you see a water main break, a lot of water on the roadway, don’t drive through it if you can avoid it, because oftentimes there’s a void underneath the asphalt that you could lose your car into, and someone could be injured. So we want to encourage people not to drive through the big puddles when there’s a break like that.”
In fact, the damaged water main did create a sinkhole at the site of the break.
