Capital Blvd reopens after water main break repairs
RALEIGH, North Carolina (WTVD) -- UPDATE: Capital Boulevard reopened Tuesday night about 8 p.m. after repairs to a water main break.
Officials in Raleigh have shut down part of Capital Boulevard because of an emergency water line break, saying traffic detours will remain "indefinitely." Originally, crews estimated repairs to be complete by Wednesday.
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The major water main break has closed all southbound lanes in the 1300 block of Capital Boulevard, near the intersection of Fairview Road.
It is unclear what caused the break. Repair crews have been working for hours on repairs.
Some businesses on the busy Capital Boulevard tell ABC11 the closure is impacting them.
"Without people being able to get here, we can't fix their automobiles and if we're not fixing automobiles, we're not making money and we're not helping customers," said Tao Auto Service Manager William Morgan.
Morgan said the garage is usually full in the mornings, but it was much emptier Monday morning.
Little Guys Movers Branch manager Blake Allen said they're also taking a hit.
"There's about 70,000 cars every day that pass through here," he said. "We're missing out on that traffic. We're missing out on that visual content."
Allen said it's frustrating because it's happened before. Morgan agrees. There was a water main break in the same area about eight months ago.
RELATED: Capital Blvd reopens after water main repairs
"I would hope this would be the last time this happens," Morgan said.
Capitol Auto is another business in that southbound stretch of Capital Boulevard feeling the impact of the road closure.
Alex Thies, the owner of the car dealership, said his day started with some of his employees having a hard time figuring out how to get to work. He also said the same happened with customers. He said people have been calling all day for directions.
It's so confusing, Thies said, that a person on a test drive couldn't figure out how to get back to the lot at one point.
While having to deal with the road being closed any day is a hardship, Thies said Monday was especially tough because it's the last day of the month and a big day for sales.
"If they can't get here, we can't sell to them," he said. "So yeah, it's definitely a significant drop considering most last days of the month, we're pretty busy and rolling right along."
Meanwhile, a detour has been set up in the area.
Drivers should expect traffic delays and are being advised to avoid the area if possible.
Drivers can take Old Louisburg Road to Atlantic Avenue to get around the repairs, while Wake Forest Road can be used as an alternative route to get to downtown.
