Road work causes water main break in Montrose

Water flowed through the intersection of Verdugo Boulevard and Honolulu Avenue in Montrose Tuesday morning after a 12-inch underground main was ruptured during road work, officials said.

The main, operated by the Crescenta Valley Water District, broke at 9:30 a.m. and was shut off a little more than an hour later, said Christy Scott, a spokeswoman for the utility.

More than 800,000 gallons of water were lost, she said.

Nearby businesses had their service interrupted and water was expected to be back on by 6:30 p.m., Scott said.

Some residential customers complained of low water pressure, but that was resolved after the broken main was shut off, Scott said.

A contractor hired by the city of Glendale to work on road improvements along Honolulu and Verdugo struck the water main as a crew dug a hole in the ground, said Steve Zurn, general manager of Glendale Water and Power, which was helping the water district with main repairs.

Sections of asphalt at Verdugo and Honolulu damaged by the break will be covered with steel plates until street repairs are completed, Scott said.

For the next two days westbound Verdugo Boulevard is closed at Clifton Place, city officials said in a statement Wednesday. Eastbound Honolulu Avenue traffic at Verdugo Road will detoured north and south.

Officials said they expect to reopen the intersection by Friday.

In the coming weeks, Crescenta Valley Water District and Glendale Water & Power will be notifying residents of temporary water shut-offs to make permanent repairs to the damaged pipe, officials said.

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FOR THE RECORD: An earlier version of this story stated the water main break occurred at 10:30 a.m.. The main broke at 9:30 a.m., but was reported to the Water District at 10:30 a.m.

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Follow Arin Mikailian on Twitter: @ArinMikailian.

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