Massive water main break shuts down section of Route 3 near NJ Turnpike
EAST RUTHERFORD, New Jersey (WABC) -- A water main break sent a geyser spewing from Route 3 near the New Jersey Turnpike in East Rutherford Wednesday morning.
The main broke in the eastbound lanes of the heavily traveled highway just before 2:20 a.m.
Cell phone video showed a massive geyser shooting high above passing traffic across from MetLife Stadium.
All eastbound lanes of Route 3 east of Berrys Creek Bridge in East Rutherford (near the western spur of the NJ Turnpike) were shut down and traffic redircted onto a service road.
Officials were able to turn the water off in the area at around 4 a.m. and were working to dig up and repair the main, which left a gaping hole in the eastbound lanes in front of the Meadowlands.
Eastbound Route 3, a heavily used bus route, was closed for five hours. Two eastbound lanes reopened at around 7 a.m.
NJ Transit said their buses would be traveling with 15-minute delays, and Express Bus Service would use Interstate 80 and the New Jersey Turnpike.
Veolia Water said residents in the nearby Monarch apartment complex in East Rutherford may be without water
There was no information about how long repairs would take.
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