Water main break causes traffic chaos and crash in St. Louis

ST. LOUIS - A 20-inch water main break at the intersection of Union and Page Boulevard in North St. Louis flooded streets and caused a car accident Tuesday afternoon. The City of St. Louis Water Division was first notified of the overflow around 4 p.m. Crews successfully shut off the water flow by 5 p.m. and began digging into the street to access the damaged pipe. The break pushed debris from beneath the pavement onto the roadway, creating hazardous conditions for commuters during the evening rush. Water Division officials reported that the 20-inch main caused significant disruption when an initial attempt to contain the leak failed. After crews placed one plate to stop the water, a second plate further down the line blew off. This sent additional water and debris from underground onto the street at the intersection. The resulting flooding and debris led to a collision involving at least two drivers. Shaluv Jones was one of the motorists involved in the accident. Jones was traveling eastbound to pick up her daughters from school when another driver tried to avoid the flooded area. "It's crazy. It's hectic. It's dangerous. If you gotta come this way please get a detour!" Jones said. Jones described the moment of the crash, noting she stopped her vehicle to avoid a head-on collision with a westbound car that had entered her path. However, a trailer to her right caught the trimming of her front tire and pulled off her entire bumper. "My lights turned green and the car that was going westbound kind of in front of my car so I stopped but she wouldn't hit me dead on and then a quarter to the right of me the back of his trailer had a hold of my trimming of my front tire and hold my entire bumper off," Jones said. Repair crews are currently using heavy equipment, including an excavator, to reach the broken pipe and begin repairs. While work continues, the incident has caused significant frustration for those caught in the area. "I'm completely frustrated because it's preventing me is as inconvenience. this a big inconvenience and annoyance right now!" Jones said. The City of St. Louis Water Division is working to determine the cause of the break. Officials are also investigating whether any nearby residents experienced impacts to their water service. All facts in this report were gathered by journalists employed by KTVI. Artificial intelligence tools were used to reformat information into a news article for our website. This report was edited and fact-checked by KTVI staff before being published.