Water main break in southwest Houston floods nearby streets
HOUSTON (KTRK) -- A water main break caused a big mess in southwest Houston Wednesday afternoon.
Around 4:40pm, a water main line burst in front of a METRO bus stop off Bob White Drive and West Airport.
First the street bubbled, eyewitnesses say, and then the ground opened up. The water flooded parts of nearby streets, prompting authorities to shut down all westbound lanes of West Airport from Hillcroft to Fondren for a couple of hours.
"It looks almost like Galveston," witness Yolanda Boone said.
Soon there was an audience and flooded streets.
"It's been long enough they could have done something," witness Peter Kimwei said.
According to the city public works map, the line in question is 24 inches, was put into service in 1975 and carries potable water to thousands.
"Everybody in the area is without water and we don't know how long we'll be without water. It could be hours and hours before it comes back," Boone said.
When workers finally were able to shut the valve off, the water receded but left the mess and plenty of work. CenterPoint crews must move lines, METRO will have to move the bus stop so that the broken line can be dug up and repaired.
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