Glenville Water Main Breaks Again [Update]

Update 3 a.m. Aug. 7

The repair for the water main at Glenville's major intersection didn't hold, according to Greenwich police. The same water main—at the intersection of Glenville and Riversville Roads—has let go again, a police spokesman said shortly after 5:30 p.m. Saturday.

Patch will have more information as it becomes available.

Original Story (published July 29)

Motorists finally got the word and followed directions to detour around the center of Glenville as crews feverishly worked to repave the major thoroughfare closed since Thursday at noon when a water main break flooded and buckled the intersection of Glenville and Riversville roads.

Greenwich Emergency Management Director Daniel Warzoha said the repaving work should be completed and the road reopened by 4 p.m. Friday.

The usually busy intersection that connects northwest Greenwich, commuters and residents to the center of Greenwich was desolate Friday morning save for the crews that were laying the 500-degree asphalt in the area in front of the Glenville Fire Department.

 “It was best to make it a permanent repair (over 24 hours) rather than a temporary one and have to come back and shut down the road, considering the impact on the businesses, to make it permanent,” Warzoha said. Crews from Penna Construction of Westport worked throughout the night to dig up and repair the lines.

For Al Scalisi, part-owner of  Glenville Hardware and the Glenville Sunoco across the street, the closure meant lost business. “It was wild with the water gushing from five different places when the road buckled,” Scalasi said. An occasional customer walked into his store late Friday morning and there was nary a customer at the Sunoco station.

“It’s very bad, very bad,” said station employee Jose Padillo. “We had to close. We are losing business.”

Rebecca Kirhoffer, owner of the popular Rebeccas restaurant located two doors away from the intersection, said, “Everyone was great yesterday. We had a catered luncheon and everyone - the cops and road crews were understanding and made sure we could get everyone in and out with deliveries.”

She added, “As soon as the it happened, we started filling pots with water because we need water to be able to wash dishes.” Although patrons had to walk a bit further than normal, it was business as usual.

At 12:30 p.m. Friday, crews from Burns Construction were laying blacktop to cover the intersection.

It was not immediately know what caused the break of the water lines that were three years old. A secondary break just north of the scene, on Riversville Road, was repaired by 1 a.m. Friday.

Despite the break, most customers had continued water service.

[Editor's Note: This article originally was published July 29.]