Washington Street damaged, closed after water main damages arterial

Some South Hill commuters had a wetter ride than expected Monday morning.

A water main break near where Eighth Avenue turns north and becomes Washington Street created a large crack all the way across the pavement and sent large volumes of water and sediment cascading down the busy street.

The road shifted significantly from the break. North of the split, the pavement is now about 10 inches lower than south of the crack. The water main that failed was cast iron and installed in the 1920s, according to Spokane Public Works spokesperson Kirstin Davis. That section was scheduled for replacement in 2026.

The rupture measured around 4 feet in length, Davis said.

As of Monday morning, Washington Street was closed above Seventh Avenue and traffic was being diverted at Eighth Avenue and Bernard Street down to Sixth Street. Davis said travelers should avoid the area and use alternate routes. Local access remains available for nearby apartment buildings, clinics and businesses.

Multiple Spokane public work crews could be seen in the area Monday morning sweeping up debris carried blocks downstream, bringing in heavy work equipment and eyeing the large lip in the roadway left in the wake.

Davis said “water distribution” for surrounding blocks was being “minimized for repair.” That means some nearby tenants and business owners will contend with low water pressure for the time being.

Work crews had fixed the initial leak in the water main around 5 p.m. Monday.

However, the subsequent restoration of water flow led to another leak further down the pipe “outside of the area,” Davis said.

Then, yet another leak sprung, bringing the total to three.

“A smaller line on Eighth and McClellan has broken,” Davis wrote in an email. “The team is finishing up the break on Washington Street and moving over to fix the break at 8th and McClellan.”

A variety of contributing factors could have led to the breaks, including the age of the water main, that part of the system is a “high-pressure zone,” the low-give cast iron the pipes were made of and recent weather, Davis said.

The traffic detour in place at the intersection is expected to remain in place overnight and into Tuesday, Davis said.