Water Leak Closes Lagunitas Bridge

After Marin Municipal Water District personnel noticed an abnormal increase in the flow of water coming into Ross around 2 a.m. Thursday morning, emergency personnel discovered a leak in Lagunitas Road near Ross Common, said MMWD public informtion officer Libby Pischel. Water, reportedly, was flooding Lagunitas Bridge and the area.

A broken valve on a 12" main pipe caused a leak in the pipe during the night and forced water to be turned off to nine service areas between Ross Commons and North Road in Ross. Lagunitas Bridge, leading into Ross off of Sir Francis Drake Boulevard, was also shut down, said Pischel.

The town had their bridge consultant come down from Sacramento today, Thursday, to check the integrity and stability of the main entrance bridge to the town.

"The consultant determined that the bridge is not damaged, but the released water did create a void under the bridge near one of the abutments and lifted the pavement at the bridge/pavement interface," said Pischel by email.

The bridge remained closed throughout the day Thursday and signs on Sir Francis Drake in San Anselmo and Kentfield warned drivers they would be unable to enter Ross by way of the Lagunitas Bridge. The other two main ways to enter the town are on Shady Lane, coming from San Anselmo, or via Kent Avenue near College of Marin.

The bridge will remained closed over the weekend.

MMWD hired W.R. Forde to repair the damage, including repaving the road where the water lifted the pavement. The void under the bridge was filled with controlled density fill today, but that must harden before the road can be repaved.

The plan, said Piscel, is to repave the road Monday and have the bridge reopened by Monday afternoon - barring inclement weather.

The repair of the water main, itself, was completed this afternoon around 3 p.m. and water was restored to the shut-off areas at that point.