A water main break added an extra obstacle to what already promised to be an icy commute this morning.
The broken main, which was blamed on frigid temps, spewed water onto busy eastbound Route 70 near Penn Avenue in Cherry Hill, N.J. around 1:30 a.m.
It caused minor traffic backups for hours as crews opened up the ground to fix the break in a 12-inch main about 5 feet under the asphalt. Merchantville Pennsauken Water Commission said it appeared shifting in the ground caused by cold weather caused the main to rupture.
By 4:30 a.m. the broken main caused the right and center lanes of eastbound Route 70 to be closed and the water began to freeze on the sidewalk and roadway.
Cherry Hill Police told NBC10's Jesse Gary they would like to at least keep part of the roadway opened for as along as possible. Crews said that the main runs parallel to the road and could possibly be fixed while leaving the left lane open -- the right lane remained open through the morning rush
NBC10's Jillian Mele suggested taking Route 38 at the 38/70 split and then taking Haddonfield Road back down to Route 70. She warned that Cuthbert Boulevard could back up as well as police divert traffic closer to the main break.
Delays weren't terrible through the morning as motorists were warned to avoid the area. They were also warned to slow down -- slippery conditions nearly caused a crash as a car moving too fast skidded out.
Crews remained on the scene by midday.
Photo Credit: NBC10