Anatomy of a Water Main Burst

Photos tell the story.

A water main supplying Crestwood Court burst sometime early Monday beneath Watson Road--shortly after the mini-tornado blew through the area, dumping rain and felling tree limbs.

Traffic was backed-up on Watson Road beside the Schnucks store near Old Sappington Road since Tuesday morning.

Water poured out of the burst main for Crestwood mall, washing downstream the ground from underneath the road and creating a river down Watson that pooled in Plaza Dental parking lot about 30 yards from the break.

A Missouri Department of Transportation worker said the pipe that burst was eight inches across and connected to a 20-inch diameter main running along under Watson Road.

Watson Road was blocked off down to one lane from three, including the left turn lane, and workers began digging and drilling down through the foot thick surface of Watson Road.

Contract workers toiled through Tuesday night and Wednesday to replace the section of pipe, re-fill the ground beneath that section of Watson, and pour cement.

Asphalt will go down over the cement by Thursday afternoon, according to workers, and the additional two lanes on Watson Road would re-open by evening.

Officials said Crestwood Court still had water access during the repair by using a second water main running to it.

The repairs included replacing an 8-foot section of pipe where the hole blew.

While the cost of the main repairs was unclear, Crestwood Court would be responsible for it, in the same way residents would be liable for the cost of repairs for the water pipe running to their houses, officials said.