A large water main break flooded a major intersection in Broken Arrow early Thursday and left behind a debris field that kept lanes closed for hours.
It began about 5:00 a.m. Thursday when a citizen approached an off-duty police officer and alerted him to water pouring from a huge hole in the ground.
The city responded quickly, and had the water shut off by about 5:45.
However, the mud and other debris which spewed from the ground covered all the eastbound lanes of E. 71st Street, and also impacted Lynn Lane (S. 177th E. Ave.) for at least a quarter mile.
The break, on the southwest corner of the intersection, resulted in a hole an estimated 25 x 12 feet in size.
Police asked drivers to avoid the area Thursday morning if at all possible.
By shortly after 6:00 a.m., a backhoe had begun pushing the piles of mud off the roadway, but eastbound 71st St. remained restricted to one lane.
Nearby businesses continued to water their lawns and remained open, so it appeared water service in the area was not significantly impacted.