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Water main break closes Ridge Ave. in East Falls

It is not yet known how long the street will remain closed while repair work is underway.

Philadelphia Water Department crews work to fix the water main break at Scotts Lane and Ridge Avenue on Friday.
Philadelphia Water Department crews work to fix the water main break at Scotts Lane and Ridge Avenue on Friday.Read moreANTHONY PEZZOTTI / Staff Photographer

A water main break has closed Ridge Avenue between Scotts Lane and the U.S. Route 1 on-ramp in East Falls.

The break on the 4000 block of Ridge was reported about 12:30 a.m. Friday and it took Philadelphia Water Department workers about 5 hours to stop the flow.

John DiGiglio, a water department spokesman, said the break occurred in an area with three mains and repair crews do not yet know which one ruptured.

Flow to the mains — a 16-inch pipe, a 12-inch-pipe and an 8-inch pipe — has been shut off while crews dig up the street to see which one is damaged. Three blocks in the area — the 3500 block of Scotts Lane, the 3500 block of West Clearfield Street, and the 4000 block of Ridge — are without water service as a result.

It is not yet known how long it will take to repair the main or how long the street will be closed.

Officials are urging motorists to avoid the area and to find alternate routes.