PARKERSBURG - A broken 10-inch water main along West Virginia 68, known locally as Ohio Avenue, flooded approximately half a mile of the roadway and one intersection Friday evening.
The leak was first reported to the 911 Center around 8 p.m., operators said.
Officers with the Parkersburg Police Department responded to the scene to find the road flooded and water shooting out of broken pavement in the middle of the entrance to McDonald's at 2508 Ohio Ave.
A broken 10-inch water main on Ohio Avenue flooded the intersection at Ohio and Emerson avenues on Friday evening. Water bubbled a foot into the air above the broken pavement at the McDonald’s entrance and poured into the street. (Photo by Gretchen Richards)
The McDonald's was closed on Friday after the incident and will remain closed until the water is restored, said communications manager Emily Myers-Duke on Friday evening.
The leak came from a broken 10-inch water main, said Buster Cale with the Parkersburg Utility Board.
Cale arrived on scene around 8:40 p.m. and advised those present that water would need to be shut down to the area to remedy the problem.
The cause of the incident, and how long it would take to repair it, was not available Friday evening.
The water bubbled approximately a foot into the air and poured out from around a large chunk of pavement that was lifted from the ground by several inches. Water poured over the pavement slab and rolled into the street, where three lanes of traffic splashed through it.
In places along the curb, the water was five inches deep when measured. It flooded all three lanes, with water standing on the outside lane and ponding on the sidewalk outside of the American Legion Post 15 across the street from the McDonald's.
Officers blocked the inside lane of Ohio Avenue from the McDonald's exit, where the water was the deepest. The water flowed with enough force to create a small current that could be felt.
The storm drain at the intersection of Ohio and Emerson avenues was overwhelmed by the amount of water, causing water to flow up and down Ohio Avenue for some distance.
The flooding began beside the Kentucky Fried Chicken at 2604 Ohio Ave. and water spread as far as Parkersburg Chiropractic at 2013 Ohio Ave.