Billings, Montana – Residents of Fairway Road in Billings experienced an unexpected disruption early Tuesday morning when a major water main break occurred. The incident, which began around 1:30 a.m., was marked by a sudden gush of water and debris that flooded the street. The water supply was cut off, significantly affecting the local residents.
Thankfully, by 12:30 Tuesday afternoon, the water service was restored to the area. Despite this quick resolution, the impact of the break was significant enough to warrant road repairs. The damaged road now requires a complete redo, which is scheduled for the spring.
The cause of the break was identified by Billings Public Works. They explained that an old cast iron main line had burst, largely due to thermal expansion resulting from recent cold temperatures. This incident was not isolated, as the area has witnessed five other similar water breaks since Sunday.
Initially, the water outage impacted 39 homes. However, due to the prompt response and efficient work of the utility crews, the number of affected homes was reduced to nine.
In response to the emergency, the Billings Police Department announced the closure of Rimrock Road between Arvin Road and McCormick Lane.
