A water main break in Valencia is causing lane closures and traffic delays as crews work to stop water from spilling onto the streets Wednesday.
The break occurred between Avenue Tibbits and Rye Canyon Road at approximately 2 p.m, according to officials.
All eastbound lanes on Newhall Ranch Road near the site of the break were shut down as of 2:10 p.m. due to the water main break, according to Carrie Lujan, spokeswoman for the city of Santa Clarita.
“That is happening — it looks like from the pictures I just saw they just turned it off and it’s no longer overflowing,” said Lujan, adding that crews would need to keep the lanes shut down while they work. “There’s already crews on the scene.”
“It’s going to be all the eastbound lanes, but once they assess the situation they’ll be able to determine if that’s necessary,” Lujan added.
The Wednesday incident marks the second time a water main has broken on Newhall Ranch Road. On Aug. 31, a main broke near the intersection of Newhall Ranch Road and Bouquet Canyon Road, sending thousands of gallons of water into the streets, and causing traffic to come to a grinding halt.
This second break, according to officials on the scene, was caused by another weak stretch along Newhall Ranch Road.
Officials on the scene said they were concerned about a possible sinkhole opening up due to the break. Austin Bennett, a spokesman for the Los Angeles County Fire Department, said Santa Clarita Water officials were on the scene as of 2:40 p.m., but a sinkhole had not occurred.
In a tweet posted by the City of Santa Clarita at 2:01 p.m., officials asked residents to avoid the area for the time being.
