BOYNTON BEACH, Fla. — A ruptured water main caused traffic headaches for drivers in Boynton Beach for much of Wednesday.
City officials said the 16-inch water main at Boynton Beach Boulevard and Lawrence Road broke at approximately 2 a.m.
A tractor-trailer then drove into a sinkhole near the water main, but the driver was not hurt.
"It's a semi truck. Very heavy. And the road, with that water main break underneath, just couldn't handle it and gave way," Holly Picciano, the public information officer for the city of Boynton Beach, said.
Aerial video from WPTV Chopper 5 just before 6:30 a.m. showed the tractor-trailer on its side and water gushing from a large hole in the road.
Workers are now in the process of fixing the broken water main.
Westbound lanes of Boynton Beach Blvd. have been reopened as workers continue repairing damage caused by this morning’s water main break. Lawrence Road north of Boynton Beach Blvd is also open. Eastbound lanes remain closed. Work is expected to be completed by the weekend. pic.twitter.com/qU6733XVx5
— City of Boynton (@cityofboynton) January 24, 2024
Westbound lanes of Boynton Beach Boulevard reopened just after 4:30 p.m. but eastbound lanes remained closed. Lawrence Road north of Boynton Beach Boulevard is also open. Work is expected to be completed by the weekend, according to city officials.
"The workers are working incredibly fast," Boynton Beach spokeswoman Dani Moschella said. "They've already got the water out of that hole, which is about 45 feet in length and about 10 feet deep. It's a significant hole. They've removed all the water. They got the old pipe out and the new pipe in. They're going to start to refill it."
Crews removed all of the water from the area by 11 a.m. and are now working to repair the water main and repair the road. Nearby businesses are under a boil water notice, but no residents are impacted.
Drivers are advised to take Gateway Boulevard or Woolbright Road as an alternate route.
Businesses hurt by water main break
Juliana Lutwin, a receptionist at nearby Palm Beach Periodontics, said the water main break impacted their business.
"We had to cancel the whole day because of the road closure," Lutwin said. "Nobody was able to get in and out of the road. We didn't know if we would have water, and that's important."
Palm Beach Periodontics specializes in dental implants and procedures.
Lutwin said without no water they can't do their job — a problem for both doctors and their patients.
"A lot of people were very unhappy and didn't really understand how it was out of our control," Lutwin said. "We've rescheduled most of our patients for Monday, which the doctor doesn't usually work."
