South Hawley Road to reopen Monday, two weeks after water main break that flooded basements
What caused the break has yet to be determined.
South Hawley Road to reopen Monday, two weeks after water main break that flooded basements What caused the break has yet to be determined. Check out this story on jsonline.com: https://www.jsonline.com/story/news/local/milwaukee/2020/01/07/south-hawley-road-reopen-monday-following-water-main-break/2837373001/
Alison Dirr, Milwaukee Journal Sentinel Published 6:05 p.m. CT Jan. 7, 2020 | Updated 6:12 p.m. CT Jan. 7, 2020
Water-damaged items from flooded basements wait to be picked up Dec. 31 in the 400 block of South 60th Street in Milwaukee. The flooding was caused by a water main break at Hawley Road just south of I-94. (Photo: Mark Hoffman / Milwaukee Journal Sentinel)
Hawley Road south of I-94 will reopen Monday, even as the city looks for the cause of a water main break that flooded nearby residents' basements and vehicles, city officials said Tuesday.
"This obviously had an impact on a significant number of homes, and if you had been here last week you would have seen the amount of debris that had been coming out of several homes because of water-soaked basements," Milwaukee Mayor Tom Barrett said at a news conference Tuesday near the site of the rupture.
He said 37 residents had reported damage to homes, vehicles, appliances and personal property. No claims had been filed yet with the city.
The area from West Dixon Street to just south of West Adler Street and from South 60th Street to South 61st Street was affected.
The city's water utility is working to determine the cause of the rupture — which Barrett called an "unusual failure" — to ensure similar breaks don't happen in other neighborhoods.
He said that shortly before 9 a.m. on Dec. 28, Milwaukee Water Works noticed a drop in water pressure and determined there was something awry in the neighborhood. Police called them at 9:06 a.m. to inform them of water rushing from the area.
The rupture happened in a 16-inch main that connected to a 48-inch main.
Barrett said city crews shut off connecting mains, stopped the flow of water and ensured sewers were clear. Water engineering inspectors immediately went door-to-door to check on residents, he said.
Department of Public Works crews made special pickups of debris from basements and cleared mud off the streets and sidewalks, Barrett said.
The process to get a new pipe was expedited, he said, allowing the road to reopen about two weeks after the break.
Ald. Michael Murphy, who represents the area, said many residents were traumatized.
Murphy will be holding a meeting with residents on Thursday to explain the claim-filing process but also to update them on efforts to find the cause. Residents are encouraged to call Murphy's office at (414) 286-3763 for meeting details.
He also said he'd be working to make sure residents were "treated fairly by the city."
Barrett said the main that broke was last replaced in 1960 but that it is not the city's oldest main.
Contact Alison Dirr at 414-224-2383 or adirr@jrn.com. Follow her on Twitter @AlisonDirr.
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