NEW ORLEANS — Parts of Claiborne Avenue are closed Wednesday morning due to a water main break outside the New Orleans Sewerage & Water Board plant.
The official NOLAReady Twitter account said the eastbound lanes from Mistletoe to Leonidas streets are closed to traffic.
By 11:15 a.m., crews had identified the specific problem: a six-inch water main that burst around 8 a.m. The pipe was related to the nearby water tower project, officials said, and they hope to repair it before Thursday.
Sewerage and Water Board officials hope to reopen one eastbound lane of south Claiborne Avenue by the end of the day Wednesday.
Drivers are urged to avoid the area and use alternate routes.
The latest water main break comes less than a month after a 114-year-old water main cracked under Claiborne Ave. in a residential Uptown neighborhood, forcing a boil water advisory that lasted for longer than 48 hours.
Last week, on May 15, city officials unveiled a map showing outdated water pipes throughout the city of New Orleans.
According to industry standards, water pipes -- which have a life expectancy between 50 and 75 years -- should be replaced by 50. In New Orleans, large sections of the city have water infrastructure more than a century old.
The map shows more than 500 miles of water pipes that were installed before 1920.
Sewerage and Water Board officials have not said how old the pipe that burst Wednesday was.
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