Water main break closes Babcock Boulevard, sends water rushing into homes

PITTSBURGH — Crews are searching for the cause of a water main break that closed a busy North Hills road for several hours Thursday.

A 16-inch water main burst around 10:30 a.m. in Ross Township, flooding at least two homes.

A portion of Babcock Boulevard was initially completely closed to traffic. Crews reopened one lane in each direction during the afternoon, and West View Water Authority officials told Channel 11 News they expected all lanes to reopen Thursday evening.

It was not clear if the water main break was linked to other work recently done nearby. A few weeks ago, the West View Water Authority fixed a leaking pipe less than a quarter of a mile away. Crews told Channel 11 a different pipe was replaced, unrelated to this break.

The Water Authority said the pipe is several decades old, but not to the point of failure.

For homeowners like Ron Fichter, the bigger concern is who will pay for the damage. When he looked out his front door Thursday morning, he saw a river of water rushing through his yard and driveway. An insurance adjuster with the Water Authority surveyed the damage, but Fichter said he's not sure if the authority will pay for it.

Stay with Channel 11 News and WPXI.com for continuing coverage as details become available.

Cox Media Group