Burst water main floods Tel Aviv streets, causing traffic chaos and road closures

Israel Electric Corporation says contractor digging for infrastructure work hit pipe; deluge blocks intersection of Moshe Dayan and Hashalom roads; will take days to repair

Screen capture from video of flooding in Tel Aviv caused by a burst water main, January 4, 2023. Used in accordance with Clause 27a of the Copyright Law)
Screen capture from video of flooding in Tel Aviv caused by a burst water main, January 4, 2023. Used in accordance with Clause 27a of the Copyright Law)

A burst water main caused traffic chaos in Tel Aviv Wednesday, blocking the intersection of two major arteries in the city and leading to the closure of several streets in the area.

Tel Aviv Municipality warned it could take several days to repair the damage.

Flooding and washed-away soil filled the intersection of Moshe Dayan Road and Hashalom Road.

Overnight work by the Israeli Electric Corporation burst a pipe close to a large hole being dug for infrastructure.

Videos posted on social media showed streets turned into rivers.

The IEC said in a statement that a contractor working on infrastructure damaged a water pipe that runs from Tel Aviv to the Givatayim suburb. It said a large number of workers were deployed to the scene and efforts were underway to reopen the roads.

Tel Aviv Municipality later said in a statement that “there was a lot of soil erosion” and that following an evaluation a decision was made to completely seal off  Hashalom Road from the corner of Yigal Alon in Tel Aviv to the corner of Yitzhak Rabin Road in Givatayim — a distance of around 1 kilometer (0.6 miles) — including all streets crossing the thoroughfare.

The public has been asked to avoid the area, including pedestrians.

Municipal sources told Channel 12 that some of the roads will remain closed until Saturday at least.

The flooding caused major traffic jams in the area. Some vehicles became stuck in the deep water, the Walla outlet reported.

Police asked drivers to find alternative routes.

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