Southwest Minneapolis water main break floods stretch of West 50th Street, several businesses
MINNEAPOLIS — A water main that burst early Thursday along a busy southwest Minneapolis thoroughfare is now fixed, but the problems are far from over.
It's happened near the corner of West 50th Street and Penn Avenue South, just a couple blocks south of Lake Harriet, with more than a foot of standing water pooled in areas that quickly froze amid single-digit temperatures.
The Minneapolis Fire Department said the call first came in at 3:30 a.m. after a fire alarm was triggered inside Terzo restaurant, and the water kept flowing down the south side of West 50th Street for nearly six blocks until around 8 a.m., when public works crews were finally able to shut it off.
The water pooled and froze at James Avenue South. The alleyway off 50th and Penn was flooded with nearly 3 feet of icy water. City officials say the source of the break is still unclear, and some local residents would be without water amid repair work.
Water poured for hours from Terzo, Sparrow Cafe and Paperback Exchange bookstore, sending books floating down the street. A renovation store on the other side of the building was also impacted. Terzo, run by the owners of Broder's Pasta Bar and Broder's Cucina just across Penn Avenue, was completely flooded.
"Because of the frost line, water at the water main break shifted in a very unusual way, it started coming up through the basement of the adjacent building," Councilmember Linea Palmisano said. "The coffee shop and the Paperback Exchange suffered a lot of damage. But as they open, what nearby residents can do is go there and utilize their businesses."
Residents one block east on Oliver Avenue South were advised to move their vehicles off the street to avoid having them freeze to the road.
Three residents who live above Terzo and its neighboring businesses were evacuated, including Nels Shafer.
"I do feel bad for the businesses because they're on the first floor, they're going to have water damage, they've got stakes in it. For me, it's just a minor inconvenience," Shafer said. "We get some pretty crazy storms around here, and the street does flood during those, but I've never seen it coming up stairs."
Crews drilled into the street in front of Terzo, where they believe the water main break happened. Damage to the building's foundation has made it unsafe for entry, according to a city spokesperson.
"We're going to try to get them up and operational, but tomorrow is Terzo's like biggest day of the year and I don't think they will be able to operate," said James Vargas, who works for a restoration company.
Nearby Lake Harriet Florist is also feeling the effects on their biggest business day of the year, as they lost all their supplies, as well as water and heat.
"There are a lot of issues that are happening concurrently, so we're going to have to get the flowers out so they don't freeze overnight," said Naomi Strum with Lake Harriet Florist.
Without the essentials, Strum says they'll have to close out on Valentine's Day, missing out on precious walk-in customers.
West 50th Street from Penn Avenue to Oliver Avenue South will continue to be closed to vehicle traffic until pavement repairs are made likely Friday, according to the city.
"Run your water if you're noticing it's brown," Palmisano said. "Please register a 311 complaint so we can keep an eye on it."
Thursday's high temperature was only in the single digits in the metro. When temperatures get below 15 degrees, road salt from the Minneapolis Department of Transportation is ineffective. Friday's high, however, will reach into the mid 20s.
