Part of Union Rd. closed through the weekend as major water main break disrupts commutes in Cheektowaga

CHEEKTOWAGA, N.Y. (WIVB) — A major water main break in Cheektowaga is disrupting commutes of many motorists and some nearby businesses were forced to close.

The Erie County Water Authority reported a significant break to a 20-inch water main on Union Road in Cheektowaga Thursday evening. Since then crews have worked to isolate the break and repair the road. 

As of Friday afternoon, Union Road remains closed from George Urban Boulevard to Genesee Street with no set date or time that it will be finished – though the town said Union will be closed throughout the weekend.

Crews were able to turn the water off and clear the standing water from the road which is completely split open as crews continue to work to fix the issue, which officials say happened due to a number of factors.

"Part of its an aging system, but part of it has to do with temperature changes this time of year," Cheektowaga supervisor Brian Nowak said. "The soil gets real dry, so with these water lines you need some external pressure on them to make sure that everything is running just as it should, so if you have the expansion and contraction of the soil that gives the opportunity for a weak link to burst."

Crews have their hands full as they work to make the repairs necessary.

"There's a lot of unknowns out there," Cheektowaga highway supervisor Rick Rusiniak said. "They got to push a pipe underneath that culvert so they can line it with another piece of plastic pipe they're going to put back in, to tie in, but it's gonna take a while."

The issue impacted some local businesses, including Otto's Restaurant which sits right next to where the break occurred on Union Road. 

"I think we took in $60 this morning, and we got some reservations that probably we're going to have to call them back and cancel, but nothing we can do," owner Joseph Biondolillo said. "Nobody can get into the restaurant because of it. The road is blocked. People are managing to cut through the restaurant, but they know that it's impossible to get in and out of here because it's all over the news, avoid the area, and everything is blocked off, so there's no sense in us being open."

Moving forward, Union will remain closed from George Urban to Genesee at least until Monday.

The Erie County Water Authority issued a statement early Friday advising area residents that they may experience low water pressure or water service disruptions as they work to fix the issue.

According to News 4 Investigates reporting from March, a total of 536 water main leaks have occurred this year in the areas that the Erie County Water Authority services — which includes Cheektowaga. Last year, a total 863 water main leaks occurred, about two per day on average.