UPDATE: Wynnewood Ave. Tunnel to Narberth Closed For Water Main Break

UPDATE, 8:30 p.m. (Nov. 17):  Construction crews and backhoes were still hard at work late Thursday afternoon, trying to fix a broken water main that forced the closure of the N. Wynnewood Avenue tunnel in Narberth.

Narberth Borough officials closed the tunnel, one of the main points of entry into and out of Wynnewood and Narberth, until further notice early Thursday morning.

In the afternoon, the borough announced via email that repairs are expected to be completed sometime on Friday.

The closure means increased traffic on E. Wynnewood Avenue from Lancaster Avenue to City Avenue, with spillover effects in the Shortridge Park neighborhood of Wynnewood. Penn Road to the west and Bowman Avenue to the east have seen increased traffic flow all morning as drivers are diverted from the tunnel entrance—which even on normal days creates backups and bottlenecks during rush hours.

In addition, N. Wynnewood Road is a major commuter access street between Montgomery Avenue and the train station in Wynnewood and the inbound train platform on Narberth's south side.

The old water pipes running under North Wynnewood Avenue and Haverford Avenue have burst several time in recent weeks, including on .

Things could be far worse—the tunnel under the Amtrak/SEPTA train tracks was the only entrance/exit at the borough's south end when the Narberth Avenue bridge was  from mid-September through early November.

Check back Friday morning for more updates.