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SANDY — Crews worked Wednesday morning to repair an 8-inch water main break that snarled traffic and buckled a road in Sandy.
A second, less severe water main break was reported nearby later in the morning.
According to the Sandy Fire Department, 9000 South westbound was down to one lane at Monroe Street (150 West) due to the original break. Monroe was closed, with part of the road threatening to cave in. Crews believed that is where the break originated.
Crews were notified of the problem around 5:30 a.m. and worked to tear up the sinking road, assess the damage and repair it.
Water rushed up so quickly it separated the pavement from the sidewalk, officials said. Sandy City crews said they believe the main broke on one side, spewing thousands of gallons of water for at least 30 minutes.
"The road was undermined so badly that they probably won't be able to open Monroe for quite a while," said Shane Pace, public utilities director for Sandy city. "We'll have to see how much damage was done."
Three or four nearby businesses were without water as a result of the break, public utilities workers said.
The second water main break happened near 8300 South and State Street. Officials said it was not as major at the one on Monroe Street.
"We will probably replace the water line where we replace the road just as precautionary means of preventing this from occurring again in the future," said Pace.
UDOT encourages motorists to use 7200 South or 10600 South as alternates.
Get traffic updates on KSL NewsRadio, and check commute times on the home page of KSL.com.