KANSAS CITY, Mo. — A broken water main opened a sinkhole Thursday on southbound Southwest Trafficway near 37th Street in Kansas City, squeezing one of Midtown’s busiest routes down to a single lane.
KC Water crews were sent to the break during the day Thursday, and the hole formed in the middle southbound lane. The middle and right lanes were shut so engineers could size up the damage, leaving only the left lane for traffic. The city said the closure ran from Valentine Road down to 39th Street.
Drivers were urged to find another way around and to plan on delays if they had to use the corridor. Earlier in the day, utility crews pinpointed where the main had failed and worked to isolate that section of pipe so it could be fixed, while officials said they were still weighing how long the full repair would take.
By Thursday evening, a water department representative said the crews had finished their investigation and patched the hole. The new concrete was to cure overnight before the pavement is milled again.
It is the second time this year the road has caved in within a few blocks. In August, a failed sewer line under the roadway opened a sinkhole that kept the stretch from 28th to 31st streets shut for over a week. Utility officials said the two breaks are unrelated, though both pipes date to the late 1800s.
The city replaces about 28 miles of aging water lines a year, roughly 1% of its system, according to the water department. Some shops near 37th Street lost water for most of Thursday because of the break, and at least one cafe posted a sign saying it had closed for the day.
Section: More Kansas City MO crime news
Filed under: Kansas City MO Traffic News
