WORCESTER, Mass. — A portion of Frontage Road will be closed Wednesday as crews continue their work after a water main broke in Worcester's Greendale neighborhood.
Issues from the 24-inch main break continue, and a Worcester Public Works representative said residents may still see rusty water coming out of their faucets today and should minimize water use.
Frontage Road, between West Boylston Drive and Shore Drive, will be closed all day Wednesday.
After the water main break flooded the roadway around 3 p.m. Tuesday, a driver in a truck drove through it, falling into a hidden sinkhole. The incident illustrates why public safety officials stress 'Turn around, don't drown,' when roadways are flooded.
SKY25 was over the scene, where several cars and streets were flooded with water. Parts of roads appeared to have buckled and cracked near the water main break.
The affected area included Shore Drive, near West Boylston Drive and Route 12.
Worcester residents in the area were stunned that the incident happened next to their house.
"My mom came outside and showed me what happened," Kyle Chaves said. "I was outside relaxing in the pool. No one would think this would happen."
Several roads were shut down for hours, as crews worked as fast as they could to fix the problem.
"We started noticing our water tank levels were dropping rapidly," Phil Guerin, of the Worcester Department of Public Works, said. "Reports of no water, then flooding."
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The pipe that broke dates back to around 1955, which crews say isn't particularly old.
"We have to get the area dig safe, so we aren't breaking any underground utilities," Guerin said. "We will get in and dig, and see what occurred."
About 50,000 residents are being warned to limit their water usage.
"There will be rusty water, people should be cautious of that. Don’t do laundry today, if you can avoid it," Guerin said. "Minimize the water use. The water will be stirred up for the evening."
Now, firefighters have to worry about low water pressure in the area.
"Our issue is the lack of water pressure," Worcester Fire Chief Michael Lavoie said. "If we have a fire on top of Holy Cross hill, or on the hill, we could have a problem with the water pressure in the hydrants."
No injuries were reported and crews are expected to continue to work as long as needed to repair the sinkhole.