Hollister’s water department has closed off a portion of Sixth Street downtown this week as crews fix a water service leak.
The street has been closed between San Benito and Monterey streets, but water department official Jim Hart said he hoped city workers might have enough of the repair done to reopen the road by the end of Tuesday.
Crews on Tuesday cut a hole in the street, next to the public parking lot, and addressed the leak problem. As soon as they backfill and seal the hole, they should be able to reopen the road, Hart said Tuesday morning.
The main reason water department officials closed that portion of Sixth Street was because the leak – combined with below-freezing temperatures in the early mornings – caused some “black ice” to accumulate, Hart said. It was causing vehicles to slide and skid as they turned at the intersection.
“We apologize for any inconvenience,” Hart said.
Ray Perez was the city worker who cut the hole for the fix Tuesday.
“It’s better for the backhoe to dig straight down,” Perez said.
