Water Main Breaks Douse Dodge Avenue, Lake Street

Two water mains broke in Evanston around rush hour Wednesday, one on Dodge Avenue and the other on Lake Street.

Crews isolated the first break in front of the , at 300 Dodge Avenue, around 4:15 p.m., according to Lara Biggs, a superintendent with the city's utilities department. Traffic was backed up until about 4:45 p.m., when crews redirected it through the parking lanes.

Once the water receded, Biggs said it was obvious that the road had buckled some due to the force of the water. City engineers will return in the morning to assess the damage and the scope of repairs that might be needed.

Crews shut down a second break, in front of at 2405 Lake Street, around 6:15 p.m., Biggs said. City workers planned to continue repairs to that main well into the evening. 

The evening breaks came just hours after city crews finished repairing a water main break in the 2200 block of Cleveland Street. That break erupted around 10:30 a.m., according to city spokesperson Eric Palmer, and water service was shut down to the block for several hours while crews were at work.