Water main break damages Hamilton Street

A water main failure on Hamilton Street north of Trent about 2 p.m. today flooded the street and caused considerable damage to the pavement. The 12-inch cast-iron pipe was installed in 1965, said Spokane Water Maintenance Supervisor Loren Searl. The street is closed between Cataldo Avenue and Trent. Crews hope to open one southbound lane by the end of the day. A significant amount of pavement of northbound lanes and the turn lane near the Centennial trail overpass buckled after what was likely more than 1 million gallons of water poured out of the road, Searl said. “This will be a massive undertaking,” Searl said. Much of the water found its way to a drainage swale, but many large puddle remain in the area. Searl said crews hope to restore two-way traffic by the end of Saturday.