A broken main sent a “tidal wave” of water onto the Edens Expressway on Friday night, stalling motorists near the Edens-Kennedy junction for hours and snarling traffic for miles.
Water up to 5 feet deep flooded some sections of the northbound lanes of the Edens after the main broke about 9:30 p.m., said Illinois State Police Master Sgt. Kay Rubin.
“It’s horrendous,” Rubin said during the height of Friday night’s crisis, in which northbound lanes of the Edens were closed.
A 42-inch water main apparently broke on the shoulder of the Edens, just north of Lawrence Avenue, Rubin said. That section of road is a low area in the expressway, which caused the water to pool. Chicago Water Department crews finally shut off the main’s three valves at about 11:35 p.m.
“It’s receding rapidly right now,” said Richard Bouse, 3rd District deputy fire chief, shortly before midnight.
Officials said the water flowed into the northbound lanes of the expressway so rapidly that 40 to 50 cars were stranded.
“The water came up so quick, there was just nowhere for them to go,” Rubin said.
At its worst point, water stretched from Lawrence Avenue south to the Edens-Kennedy junction, and some seeped onto sections of the Kennedy Expressway.
Several drivers stranded in the water were forced to climb onto the roofs of their cars and wait to be rescued by the Fire Department, said Sal Marquez, a department spokesman. There were no reports of injuries.
Police diverted northbound motorists off the Kennedy Expressway at Montrose Avenue. The flooding turned the Kennedy into a late-night parking lot stretching from the junction to the Loop, said Dan Fields of Shadow Traffic.
“It was like a tidal wave hit the expressway,” Fields said. “It just came out of nowhere. It’s just like Moses lifted up his arms and the water came on.”
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Southbound lanes on the Edens were not affected by the flooding, thanks in part to a retaining wall between the two sides of the expressway.
The rising waters caused other headaches in the area near the break. The Chicago Transit Authority temporarily shut down trains on the O’Hare-Douglas line as water rose near the tracks.
And water pressure in the area fell as Water Department officials tried to shut off the main, city officials said.
Officials were unsure what caused the break, Rubin said.
She added that the northbound lanes would be reopened after the water had completely receded and city crews had made sure there was no structural damage to the expressway.
The northbound lanes were expected to be reopened Saturday morning.