April 3, 2014 - KUB expects repairs and restoration efforts from the downtown water main break last night to continue into the weekend. Several customers who are without water today are expected to remain out of service at least through Friday and possibly beyond that, depending on the pace of repairs. The break occurred at the intersection of Main Street and State Street, at the entrance to James White Parkway, around midnight.

"This water main break occurred at a key intersection where 12 utility lines are located in close proximity," said Bill Elmore, KUB Executive Vice President and Chief Operating Officer. "With the complexity of the work and the size of the lines, it is not a typical situation and will require more time than a typical break."

KUB personnel have been in touch with all customers impacted by the water service outage and are assisting them during construction. In addition to the tenants of Riverview Tower, occupants of five other nearby buildings are affected. In the meantime, because of the longer expected duration of this outage, KUB is providing bottled water for customers who are out of service.

Coinciding with ongoing repairs and restoration, the following streets are expected to remain closed through the weekend: Main Street between S. Gay Street and S. Central Street, State Street between W. Hill Avenue and Cumberland Avenue, and the Main Street entrance ramp to James White Parkway.

Additionally, access remains open to the parking garage at First Tennessee Towers via Cumberland Avenue. The Dwight Kessell Parking Garage and BB&T building continue to be accessible from Hill Avenue only.

Flagmen will be onsite to assist with maintaining access to businesses in the area during this period. On-site signage and barricades will remain in place for the duration of this work. Motorists are advised to use caution and expect possible delays when traveling in this area.

A cause for the water main break has not been determined at this time. The water mains in this area were installed in the 1920s. Follow-up advisories will be issued as needed as repairs and restoration work continues in this area.

KUB is a municipal utility serving Knox and parts of seven adjacent counties and provides electric, gas, water, and wastewater services to more than 444,000 customers.

For more information about KUB please visit www.kub.org.