By Dominic Abassi

Water Main Break Closes Highway, Floods Businesses

Jun 23, 2016 | 11:37 AM

580,000 litres of water gushed down a pair of major Nanaimo streets following a water main break Wednesday morning.

The city of Nanaimo’s utilities manager John Elliott says the break was reported at 9:45, on Terminal avenue near Commercial Street, which caused significant pavement damage and minor flooding to a few businesses.

Elliott says Terminal Avenue between Comox and Esplanade will be closed in both directions and detours in place until about midnight.

“Road way was damaged substantially, so there’s quite a bit of paving to do which is why it’s taking so long,” Elliott said.

Elliott says water main breaks like this happen from time-to-time, but says it’s a particularly bad spot for a water break.

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“It’s not abnormal or anything, the issue here is it’s down a main corridor so it causes a bunch of complications that way.”

Elliott says the burst water pipe was installed in 1947 and scheduled to be replaced in 2020.