North Charleston roadway affected by water main break to open late tonight

NORTH CHARLESTON — A water main break shut down all lanes of traffic on W. Montague Avenue right before Dorchester Road on the morning of June 17. Crews now expect the roadway to reopen by late evening.

The roadway damage was directly adjacent to the Asher apartment complexes at 3812 W. Montague Ave.

Originally, officials expected the repair to several days, but after many hours of hard work by crewmembers, the roadway will undergo repaving by the evening of June 17, said Charleston Water System spokesperson Mike Saia. The road should be ready for drivers tonight, but most definitely by the following morning, Saia said. 

“Charleston Water System is very optimistic that W. Montague Avenue will be completely open and ready for commuters by the morning (of June 18),” Saia told The Post and Courier.

The State Department of Transportation realized the “criticality” of the roadway, given the area is highly trafficked and is a point many use to access Interstate 526, and gave the OK to expedite repair work, Saia said.

Area police continue to recommend avoiding the stretch of roadway altogether until repair officials deem the area safe. Traffic can bypass the roadway damage by using Cheatam Drive and Athletic Street.

The water main beneath W. Montague Avenue broke just before 1 a.m. and left a large, water-filled crater across multiple lanes of the roadway, Saia said. The standing water within the hole had been mostly drained by early-morning.

Approximately 50 customers had been left without water, including multiple commercial entities and an apartment complex.

By 3:30 p.m., crews had restored water to at least half of the affected meters.

Saia expects the remaining 25-odd customers still hanging in the balance to have water restored by around 6 p.m.

A contractor, not employed by CWS, was drilling in the area and accidentally struck the 24-inch water piping beneath the roadway, Saia said. The contractor self-reported the accident, allowing both police officers and CWS maintenance crews to quickly mobilize and lock down the area.