Why are parts of US 60 closed? Broken water line in Tempe causes headaches for commuters
Eight million gallons of water have been lost and crews are "working around the clock” to repair parts of U.S. 60 in Tempe between Interstate 10 and Loop 101 that have been closed since Saturday from a broken waterline.
Crews with the City of Tempe Water Utilities department, FPS Civil contractors and the Arizona Department of Transportation are working “to address this issue, get the issue repaired and get the roadway reopened,” since the break caused flooding on the freeway and damage beneath the pavement, city spokesperson Nikki Ripley said.
“I am really happy with the way that our crews responded — they were out there right away. They did everything they could in their power. I couldn’t be more pleased with the shutdown,” Interim Municipal Utilities Director Tara Ford said.
City officials initially reported that the break in the water line occurred underneath the freeway, but Ford corrected and said the break happened on the north side of the Superstition Freeway between the pedestrian bridge and the overpass at McClintock Drive.
Mitigation efforts will focus on where the break is and then remediation efforts will be conducted in conjunction with ADOT.
The process of identifying the water lines and putting them on a schedule for construction and excavation has begun, Ford said. Before traffic can resume, inspections and repaving will also have to be done.
"This particular water transmission line is made of steel and was installed in 1973. It would typically have a 75-year life expectancy," the release stated. "This is the first break of its kind of a transmission line in Tempe."
“It is just unfortunate that [the break in water line] this happened at this time. It was very unforeseen since this pipe is 50 years old. The lifespan of a steel cylinder type is 75 years old. There is no reason that it failed with 25 years left on the pipe,” Ford said.
Officials did not say when the highway closure would be lifted, but the repair work could take several days, according to the City of Tempe. The cost of the repair is unknown at this time.
The City of Tempe is shutting off water in different areas to prevent water leaking, however, there are currently no residential customers out of water, Ford said.
Water service to two businesses along McClintock Drive was interrupted after city crews shut off a water main believed to be feeding water into the transmission line. The city will provide temporary water to the affected buildings so that they can conduct business, according to the release.
Randy Everett, ADOT central district administrator, advised drivers who frequently travel on the freeway to look for alternative routes and plan for an extra half an hour of commute time.
Eastbound U.S. 60 is closed between the I-10 interchange and Loop 101. Westbound U.S. 60 is closed between Loop 101 and McClintock Drive. Drivers are able to use westbound U.S. 60 on-ramps between McClintock Drive and I-10.
Westbound U.S. 60 traffic approaching the closure is being detoured to north- and southbound Loop 101.
"Drivers on I-10 who normally would use eastbound US 60 should consider using either eastbound Loop 202 to northbound Loop 101 or eastbound Loop 202 to southbound Loop 101 to reach eastbound US 60 beyond the closure," ADOT officials said in a statement Sunday.
The City of Tempe has been planning a new program for systematic assessment of water lines and fieldwork is set to begin in the next few months, the release states.
The cause of the break is still under investigation, Ripley said.
“The City of Tempe genuinely recognizes and is sympathetic to the inconveniences that this is causing in people's lives. We know that thousands of people use this freeway to get to work, take their kids to school, or any number of other things,” Ripley said.
Haleigh Kochanski and Laura Daniella Sepulveda contributed to this report.
Reach breaking news reporter Angela Cordoba Perez at Angela.CordobaPerez@Gannett.com or on Twitter @AngelaCordobaP.
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