Strip District Water Main Break May Take Weeks To Fix, And That Could Affect Businesses

PITTSBURGH (KDKA) -- A massive water main break in the Strip District may take weeks to repair, and that could affect some businesses.

Smallman Street was already down to one lane due to a renovation at an old produce terminal when the 36-inch line broke Tuesday, sending a torrent of water rushing down a three-block stretch between 14th and 17th Streets.

RELATED STORIES:

• 600-Foot Pipe Arrives For Smallman Street Replacement
• Crews Continue Repairs On Massive Strip District Water Main Break
• Water Main Break Floods Strip District Street

Some businesses initially lost water service, but it has since been restored. Now, the only problem is navigating around the construction zone.

Crews initially thought the pipe could be repaired, but the Pittsburgh Water and Sewer Authority has since said it needs to be replaced entirely. And that, PWSA says, could take up to three weeks.

Bill Fuller, who owns two restaurants on Smallman, says his customers quickly adjusted to the new traffic route.

"With this construction that's been going on for so long, people who are coming to the Strip and through the Strip are already dealing with redirected traffic down here," he said. "So I think everybody's just sort of living with it."

But Fuller does have one concern. This Sunday, his restaurant Kaya is holding KayaFest -- an outdoor music festival that shuts down Smallman between 19th and 20th Streets. The new construction zone could make traffic even more tricky.

But the restaurant owner is keeping a sense of humor about it.

"Sunday afternoon, about 3 o'clock when it's nice and hot -- let's turn that water back on and make it like a lakefront festival," Fuller joked. "They're not gonna do it."