Water Main Breaks in Chicago

Nov. 8, 2002

A water main broke early this morning on Chicago's North Side, sending thousands of gallons of water gushing onto streets and causing a 30-foot-wide sinkhole.

Police shut down a three-mile stretch of nearby Lake Shore Drive after getting a report of the broken main at 3:20 a.m. The drive was reopened by 7:30 a.m.

Witnesses said the break in the 36-inch main sent water gushing up to eight feet in the air.

Chicago Water Department officials are trying to determine the exact cause of the water main break. Repair crews planned to pump out the sinkhole that opened on Addison Avenue. Two cars were partially submerged and other vehicles sat tilted along its edge.

Bari Levy, 30, who lives in a building in front of the sinkhole, used to park her car where the pavement had collapsed. "Thank God somebody was looking over me and my car wasn't there," Levy said.

Source: The Associated Press