UPDATE: Highway 99 Reopens After Broken Water Pipe Floods Roadway

SACRAMENTO (CBS13) – All lanes of Highway 99 in south Sacramento are now open, after a broken water main flooded the freeway and several streets in the area earlier Wednesday morning.

The break happened early Wednesday morning on Franklin Boulevard and 13th Avenue, sending 200,000 gallons of water spilling out and flooding roadways.

Highway 99 was closed for several hours as crews sucked up water and debris on the roadway. Just after 7:30 a.m., the southbound lanes reopened. The northbound lanes had reopened about an hour earlier.

Utility crews have stopped the flow of water and are working to pump the water off the roadways. PG&E reopened one lane of Franklin in both directions at about 11:30 a.m.

"This is a big-time deal. We have what we believe is a 12-inch water main underneath Franklin Boulevard that has broken," said Jessica Hess of the Sacramento Department of Utilities. "The sheer amount of water we are dealing with has caused the roads to buckle, so we will be out here the most of the day not only repairing the water main but making repairs to the street making sure it is safe for folks to drive on."

The Sacramento Department of Utilities says it is unclear exactly what caused the water main to burst but says it is likely due to age.