A water main broke early Monday morning, causing delays for commuters on northbound Route 42.

The hole began at about the size of a baseball and caused a cleanup Monday. When the pipe burst, water flowing at more than 200 pounds per square inch of pressure ripped the road apart.

Police got the call for the break at 4:20 a.m. As a result, all lanes on the northbound side of Route 42 were shut down while crews worked to repair the pipe and the road.

Dayton and Bridgewater Police and the Rockingham County Sheriff's office responded to the scene.

The driver of a disabled truck says it was raining and he didn't see the hole in the ground. His truck now has a broken air line and a flat tire. Dayton police say Harrisonburg owns the water main and they're still waiting for information on the cleanup.

In terms of the cleanup required, Dayton Police Officer Phillip Cross says, "It all depends on the Harrisonburg utility company, on what they want to do with the clean up but as of right now we have no information on that."

The broken water main burst through the ground. Soil, rocks and asphalt surround the hole where water was gushing down the side of the road.

Harrisonburg Water and Sewer Supervisor Clifford Shifflett says, "I guess we'll fix the water main, back fill, and get the pavement straightened up as best as we can and then we'll get a contractor in to repave."

Witnesses in the area say, when they were standing near the hole in the road, they could feel the ground rumbling as the water rushed by just under their feet.

Buried three feet underground, the water main along route 42 in Dayton has burst before.

Shifflett says old age is the cause.

"Pipes can deteriorate and go up at any time," adds Shifflett.

It will be quite some time before the cleanup is over.