Crews have successfully secured a major water main break at the intersection of Summerhill Road and Main Street in Spotswood.
The break occurred in a six-inch cast iron pipe, about the size of a Nerf football, and was caused by the age of the pipe and the freeze-thaw cycle.
It took the crew about seven hours to stop the water from flowing, with difficulties arising from the presence of other lines, including a fiber optic cable and a storm pipe.
Crews had to dig by hand to access the pipe, and their efforts were further complicated by the fact that they had worked in Sayreville and New Brunswick the day before and returned to the Spotswood site at
Summerhill Road is currently closed and cordoned off by police, while Main Street remains open, but drivers can expect traffic delays in the area. An alternative route is available through MJ’s car park.
Crews will continue to work throughout the morning and afternoon to repair the hole in the road, and nearby residents and businesses may experience low water pressure until repairs are complete.
According to Josh Kamis of the Middlesex County Office of Public Works, “It’s old infrastructure sometimes, probably in this case it’s really freezing hours, it’s that time of year.”
