DETROIT – Bitter cold conditions are responsible for causing 75 active water main breaks in Detroit, including one Wednesday (Jan. 26) that shut down I-94 in Detroit.
Traffic was stopped along westbound I-94 while work crews shut off the water main that sprung a leak, sending water gushing down the freeway.
The freeway had just been salted to try to melt down some of the ice. It’s been a harsh winter so far. Last week, an entire neighborhood was frozen in place.
Read: Update: Water main break leaves frozen pond on Detroit’s west side
And then, a couple of weeks before that, on Harper Avenue and Chalmers Street, another massive water main broke, flooding the streets.
Read: Water main break on Detroit’s east side creates huge mess
Another incident happened on Wyoming and Schoolcraft where a fire hydrant was taken out of commission, freezing the side of the road and shutting the street, southbound Wyoming to one lane.
Read: Detroit to finally fix leaking fire hydrant that has been creating a dangerous, slippery mess
A representative from the water board said that all the breaks are due to the bitterly cold temperatures and the aging infrastructure.
The 8-inch main gave way on I-94, leaving a handful of residents without water Wednesday (Jan. 26) evening.
Detroit Water and Sewerage gave some families cases of water to see them through the evening as I-94 has reopened.
The water department said they plan to get the 8-inch main repaired sometime Thursday (Jan. 27) morning.