Large water main break in Birmingham's Ensley area could cause icy traffic issues

Drivers are asked to be cautious after a large water main break in Birmingham early Wednesday morning. The 24-inch main break is located at 1720 22nd Street in Ensley. Water service will be impacted for anyone living west of Interstate 65, according to Birmingham Water Works. The break was reportedly caused by the freezing temperatures."When temperatures drop in freezing on multiple days, soil typically behaves in a way that will cause any utility or any underground infrastructure to have challenges," BWW assistant general manager Derrick Murphy said.The initial water main break affected residents in the Tuxedo Junction area, including the Tuxedo Terrace housing community. Residents in the Ensley Park area will be affected as efforts to repair the break continue. Those areas will have little to no water while repair work is in progress.>> KNOW BEFORE YOU LEAVE: Interactive traffic mapRepair crews have isolated the leak and are fixing the problem. Customers should start seeing water service restored and pressure returning as tanks recover and the repair work is completed. Some people who regain water service may lose it again during the repair process.BWW said that it could take up to six hours for water service to return after crews are able to reach the broken pipe.Officials said the 12-degree temperature could cause problems for drivers due to freezing water on roads in the area. Murphy said his crew hopes to finish repairs before the sun goes down and temperatures drop."The goal is to be finished with it prior to the sun going down early in the evening," he said. "Most of it is draining properly and it is still warm outside, but we'll make sure we mitigate that by doing any type of safety precautionary measures as possible."Murphy said BWW is prepared to treat the roadways if needed, to make them safe to drive on.>> WVTM 13 ON-THE-GO: Download our app for free