A large water main broke Thursday night beneath a west side Manchester street, causing a bus-sized sinkhole and several flooded basements.
City Water Works Director David Paris says the broken pipe is one of five major conduits servicing the city and connecting the east and west sides of the Merrimack river.
"A large part of the road will need to be rebuilt," says Paris. He says it's too soon to estimate the cost of the damages but in the first hour the city lost about 1 million gallons of water.
Mayor Ted Gatsas was on site to inspect the damage. About 20 residents were asked to evacuate their homes as a safety precaution.