82nd Street reopens after water main fix

INDIANAPOLIS (WISH) - More than 12 hours after a water main break was reported on 82nd Street in Castleton, the break was repaired and traffic was flowing again, but not before the repair work snarled traffic during heavy morning and lunch traffic Wednesday.

Water service had been restored to the area as of midday, and traffic was flowing in both directions by about 2:45.

Attempts to fix the problem involved digging a 12-foot deep hole. The main broke shortly before 7 p.m. Tuesday in the eastbound lanes of 82nd, near Allisonville Road. That’s right in front of the entrance to Castleton Square Mall.

Water ran into a nearby drainage ditch early Wednesday morning, and sections of pavement were buckling after being inundated with water from below.

The biggest challenge for work crews during the early morning hours was simply finding where the main broke. Indy Water crews drilled a series of holes into the pavement overnight. The 43-year-old pipe is a massive 16 inches wide, bringing water to stores and restaurants in and around the mall.