photo by Boyd Loving
Ridgewood intersection closed after car crashes into hydrant
OCTOBER 6, 2014 LAST UPDATED: MONDAY, OCTOBER 6, 2014, 1:26 PM
BY JODI WEINBERGER
STAFF WRITER
THE RIDGEWOOD NEWS
Ridgewood major throughway South Van Dien Avenue is shut down between Hanks Avenue and Lotus Road after a car knocked a hydrant out of the ground this morning, sending water gushing out into the street.
At noon on Monday, police and safety officials were still trying to determine the scope of the damage caused when a car crashed into a fire hydrant at 9:37 a.m. at the corner of South Van Dien and Spring avenues.
“The intersection may be shut down for a while,” said Jeremy Kleiman, director of the Office of Emergency Management.
Police said the male driver refused medical attention following the accident and his car was towed away. Police could not answer why the accident occurred or if a summons had been issued.
David Scheibner, Ridgewood Water’s business director, said the village shut down the valves in that area, but that the shutdown would not impact the water supply to any homes.
Typically when fire hydrants are hit, they pop out with little damage to the ground below, said Kleiman, but this crash caused the water main to rupture and created a 6-foot deep crater in front of a Spring Avenue home.
“Our concern is about gas levels in the manholes. [Right now] the levels are fine,” Kleiman said. “Initially we thought we may have to evacuate.”
– See more at: https://www.northjersey.com/news/ruptured-water-main-closes-ridgewood-intersection-1.1103460#sthash.mTxMP3RN.dpuf
