McKnight Road, Ross Park Mall reopen after water main breaks
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Normally a busy highway during the morning rush, some of the only activity Friday on McKnight Road were PennDOT workers putting down salt. Several water main breaks closed the roadway in Ross.
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Five water mains broke in various parts of the North Hills this morning, including one that closed McKnight Road and delayed the opening of Ross Park Mall for about an hour-and-a-half on a bustling shopping day.
The biggest break occurred just after 2 a.m. in a 16-inch main on McKnight Road just south of the Patrick Place entrance to the mall.
Water flowed onto the road and froze, creating a hazard for drivers and forcing authorities to shut down McKnight in both directions.
Crews isolated the break and shut the water off. No one lost water because customers were served by an alternate 12-inch main, said Sharon Bruno, director of administration for the West View Water Authority.
The closing of McKnight meant no one could use the two ramps leading to Ross Park Mall or gain access to other businesses on McKnight.
PennDOT crews later reopened the southbound lanes and one northbound lane, allowing customers into the mall. Ross Park normally opens at 9 a.m. but didn't officially open until 10:30 a.m.
"We lost about an hour-and-a-half of business," said Lisa Earl, the mall manager.
The mall building itself was open earlier, and customers were roaming around even before 10 a.m., but most of the stores remained closed until 10:30 because employees needed time to set up for the day, one of the busiest of the holiday shopping season.
Other, smaller breaks occurred at Babcock Boulevard and Hillcrest Drive, Route 19 and Lindley Lane, Brandt School Road at Pine Creek and Kummer Road and Old Kummer Road near North Park, which is an Allegheny County main and not controlled by West View.
There were no reports of any service disruptions in those cases.
None of the breaks was related. Ms. Bruno said they were the result of fluctuations in temperature common in winter.
First Published December 17, 2010 5:40 am
