Bradenton intersection reopens after water main floods road, downs traffic signals
Update 2/16/22: The intersection at 59th St W at 29th Ave W was reopened as of 4:30 p.m. Wednesday.
A flooded intersection with downed traffic signals on 59th Street West in Bradenton is expected to remain closed overnight after a county contractor drilled through a water main.
The break at the intersection of 59th Street West and 29th Avenue West was announced by Manatee County Public Works and the Bradenton Police Department on social media on Tuesday morning.
A contractor doing directional drilling to install fiber optic line for Comcast Cable, granted a permit by the county to work in the county’s right of way hit a city water line, city and county officials said.
It is unknown long the repair will take or when the road will be reopened.
“Our number one issue is, of course, public safety,” Bradenton Mayor Gene Brown said in an issued statement. “We know it’s an inconvenience for the intersection to be closed when people are trying to get home, but until we can ensure that it is safe to reopen, it will remain closed.”
A stuck valve, unrelated to the break, prevented crews from being able to shut off the water immediately, Manatee County Public Works spokesman Ogden Clark explained. The city meanwhile deployed trucks to pump the water out of the intersection.
By 3:30 p.m. the pipe was isolated and water pressures in the area began to rise, according to Bradenton’s Public Works & Utilities Director Jim McLellan.
“It appears that water pressure from the break caused the traffic signal pole to come out of the ground,” Clark said.
FPL had a couple crews standing by, waiting for the water to be shut off so they can de-energize the FPL lines, remove and replace the damaged lines. Crews were able to save the power pole and get it standing again.
“Once the water is shut off, and repairs are made, conditions at the intersection will be inspected to determine if the road can be reopened before repairs are made to the traffic signal,” said Manatee County’s Public Works Department Director Chad Butzow in an issued statement.
Residents in the area may experience water or power outages during repairs.
Drivers are asked to avoid the area if possible. Traffic is being detoured at Cortez Road from the south and 17th Avenue West to the north and rerouted west to 75th Street West or east to 51st Street West.
Bradenton police initially were redirecting traffic through GT Bray Park.
The G.T. Bray Recreation Center was also forced closed on Tuesday as a result of the break. It is expected to reopen at 5:30 a.m. Wednesday.
This is a developing story and will be updated.
This story was originally published February 15, 2022 at 11:54 AM.
