Water Main Break Floods Strip District Street

STRIP DISTRICT (KDKA) -- A gushing geyser on Smallman Street in the Strip District Tuesday evening turned a several-block stretch of the street into a river after a 36-inch water main ruptured near 16th Street.

The flooding forced the closure of the busy street as crews worked for an over an hour and a half to isolate the break and locate underground valves so they could shut off the flow of water.

The flooding occurred near the Produce Terminal Building, which is now undergoing a major renovation.

Looking down from the 16th Street Bridge, if one didn't know better, you would have thought the Allegheny River had overflowed its banks.

Some Strip District parking lots weren't immune to the flooding and people whose cars were temporarily marooned by the high water were understandably frustrated.

"[I'm] afraid. Not sure how I'm going to get my car out, but I asked if I could remove it and I was told no, it could float away," Catrina Lineburg told KDKA News.

Two hours after the break, Lineburg was able to get in her car and drive home.

Some businesses in the immediate area of the water main break and the flooding were forced to close. Gaucho's Restaurant at the corner of Penn Avenue and the 16th Street Bridge closed early because of low water pressure.

The Pittsburgh Water and Sewer Authority says Smallman Street between 13th and 21st Street will remain closed until repairs are complete.

Any customer who needs additional information should call PWSA Emergency Dispatch 24/7 at (412) 255-2423.