A burst water main has caused chaos for a community after creating a massive hole in a major road.
Dozens of properties and a nearby school are without water after the major pipe flooded around 11.45am on Monday on Wynnum Road in Brisbane’s east, disrupting traffic.
Crews on Tuesday were still working hard to repair damage to the Tingalpa arterial road after the local water supply was shut down, revealing a “giant hole”.
Almost 50 properties were impacted along with Tingalpa State School.
The cause of the burst pipe is being investigated, local water distributor Urban Utilities says. (HANDOUT/Councillor Lisa Atwood)
Portable toilets have been set up at the school and bottled water made available for students, the education department said.
Reports that students had been asked to stay home were dismissed by the department.
“The school is open as usual and various strategies have been put in place including alternative toilet facilities, tanks, and access to bottled water,” a department spokesperson said in a statement.
“The school community will continue to monitor the situation and will stay in touch with parents regarding any updates.”
Pictures showed a fountain of water emerging from the busy road.
“The burst has created a giant hole in the road, so it will take some time to fix. Please avoid the area,” local councillor Lisa Atwood posted on social media.
Diversions were put in place for eastbound traffic but the route was reportedly affected when a truck hit powerlines about 9.30am on Tuesday.
Police were directing traffic on the busy road on Tuesday morning.
The cause of the burst pipe was being investigated, local water distributor Urban Utilities said.
“Burst water pipes can be caused by a range of reasons such as ground movement due to changes in rainfall or temperature, and extreme weather events,” a spokesperson said in a statement.
“While the pipes are offline, we’re diverting water into the areas from other parts of our network to minimise the impact to our customers.
“Once repairs have been completed, crews can then begin road restoration and clean-up works.”
