Greensboro water main break shuts West Friendly Avenue lanes, cuts service for 20 customers

Both eastbound lanes of West Friendly Avenue were shut down in the 3900 block between Rodman Road and Idlewild Avenue after an eight-inch water main break left about 20 customers without water service. The closure turned a busy Greensboro corridor into a work zone, with cones and signs steering drivers away from the repair area.

City crews were already on site as motorists were told to use alternate routes. The city said repairs, lane reopening and water service restoration were expected by 4 p.m., making the outage a same-day disruption for nearby households, commuters and businesses along the street.

Once service returns, Greensboro Water Resources advises customers to run cold water through a faucet without an aerator, such as a tub spout or outdoor spigot, if the water looks cloudy or discolored. Residents who see a water leak or a main break in the street, or who notice changes in the taste, odor or color of drinking water, can call Water Resources 24-hour Dispatch at 336-373-2033.

The break also added to a pattern of repeat trouble on West Friendly Avenue. A Jan. 27 water main break on the corridor closed two lanes and affected five customers, and an earlier break left 25 customers without service. For drivers on one of Greensboro’s key east-west routes, the damage was not just to the pipe in the street. It also meant reroutes, slower travel and another reminder that a short stretch of roadway can carry the burden of a larger aging-infrastructure problem.