There was a massive water main break on Millar Avenue and 60th Street on Tuesday.
The road was closed for emergency repair on the water main, after a vehicle collided with a fire hydrant.
“We heard a big explosion and we went and looked out the front window and there was water filling the roads and then the road was actually caving up,” said Tate Porter, Autobox Garage Interior sales coordinator.
City crews have been working throughout the day to remove the water and begin filling the nearly 6 foot hole. They have closed the stretch of road, and are rerouting traffic.
Businesses in the area were asked to avoid heavy water use.
“It will definitely impact our traffic through the door, since Millar’s closed and 60th is closed, but we are still open so people can enter through the back entrance, but it definitely will slow things down,” said Porter.
The City of Saskatoon says after the vehicle hit the fire hydrant, the street began flooding and it led to more issues underground.
“That flooding then caused the undermining of our road surface and sub conditions and exposed more of our water piping, which also exposed it to further damage when other vehicles then drove through the water,” said Pam Hamoline, Interim Director of Saskatoon Water.
The city says it could take days to fix and drivers are being asked to avoid the area while crews work to remove the water and repair the road.
“When people see a roadway flooded out, they shouldn’t drive through, there’s a lot of hazards and unsafe conditions, so please respect the barriers that are in place, keep everyone safe our residents and our workers and it also avoids injuries and costly repairs for the city,” said Hamoline.