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MILLCREEK — A ramp from northbound I-215 to I-80 eastbound in Parley’s Canyon may be closed throughout the weekend after a water main broke spewing high amounts of water onto the freeway Friday morning, a Utah Department of Transportation official said.
The agency originally estimated the closure, which includes the two right lanes on the freeway, would last about two hours. However, possible erosion underneath the roadway is expected to extend that closure longer, UDOT Region 2 communication manager Tim Beery said.
“To get that erosion to stop and everything, (the workers) are looking like it’s going to run through the weekend,” he said.
However, Beery said some of that estimated weekend closure is weather dependent and there is a possibility that the ramp could reopen sooner than what’s anticipated.
“If it dries out and we’re able to get in there and stop the eroding, it could (reopen) sooner,” Beery said.
By 6:30 p.m. Friday, crews had completed work on the main pipe, according to Holly Mullen with Salt Lake City Public Utilities. Over the weekend, workers will continue to assess the damage to determine how best to repair the damage.
Work to repair the damage would resume on Monday, Mullen said. The site is secure with barricades, she said.
In addition to the ramp closure, Salt Lake City Mayor Jackie Biskupski tweeted Friday cyclists and pedestrians are being asked to avoid Parley's trails east of nearby Tanner Park and trails south of Foothill Blvd. through Saturday.
A 16-inch water main line broke shortly before 11:15 a.m. near Wasatch Blvd., which runs adjacent to the freeway in the area. Jesse Stewart, Salt Lake City public utilities deputy director, said crews were able to stop the water within 30 minutes of responding to the break. He expected the line to be completely fixed by later Friday.
Scott Clements, who resides in a home near the break, said he saw the water spewing about 10 to 15 feet from the roadway.
“It looked like a geyser coming out of the street,” he said. “We were just at Yellowstone about two months ago and (Old Faithful) didn’t look nearly as cool as this did. The gushing was amazing.”
A snowplow was seen pushing water and mud out of the area early Friday afternoon after the water was contained.
The cause of the break remains under investigation. The pipe was installed in 1978 and officials don’t believe age played a factor in it breaking, Stewart said.
Despite the ramp closure, two left lanes of the freeway remained open throughout the flooding and traffic returned to normal early Friday afternoon.
Contributing: Paul Nelson
