Sewer Pipe Break Patched on West Shore Road

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UPDATE: 2:32 P.M.: WSA Director Janine Burke reports the leak has been fixed. She said the joint in the pipe has been fastened with stainless steel bolts, which should hold better than the previous fasteners.

She said traffic should clear at the site soon.

Warwick, RI –  City officials are warning motorists of likely traffic delays as the Warwick Sewer Authority (WSA) works to repair a broken pressurized sewer line near Graham and Buena Vista Avenues.

Janine Burke, director at the WSA, said the break was reported Monday night and her crews were out working on the pipe first thing in the morning. She said that although the line is pressurized, the contents of the pipe weren’t spraying around. Rather, callers alerted the WSA about the break when they noticed a dip in the street surface under the break.

Once they’d uncovered the pipe, though, “It was pretty muddy and messy,” Burke said.

Burke thinks the break is located at a joint in the 15-year-old PVC pipe. “We think it was just a joint that pulled apart,” she said.

Burke said heavy traffic on West Shore Road likely caused the pipe to come apart.

Mayor Scott Avedisian’s office reported police traffic detail officers are on-site in an advisory sent to media this afternoon at 1 p.m. The advisory warns there could be traffic delays as repair work continues.

Motorists should seek alternate routes, according to the advisory.

Burke said that with luck, the break will be fixed by the end of the day.