Broken water line closes major road in downtown Boise. Here’s the repair timeline
A geothermal water line that broke Wednesday afternoon at Capitol Boulevard and Myrtle Street likely will affect traffic in downtown Boise for more than a week, the Ada County Highway District posted on Facebook.
The closure extends for one block along Capitol between Myrtle and West Broad Street, and includes the left-turn lane from Myrtle onto Capitol. The crosswalks on the north and east sides of the intersection are closed, too.
The closure is expected to last until Oct. 3, ACHD said.
The damage will require asphalt and sidewalk replacements, ACHD said. Repair work was underway at 8:30 a.m. Thursday.
The highway district encourages drivers to consider alternate routes.
The city said it is working to update its geothermal system to prevent similar issues in the future.
“The City of Boise’s geothermal system has heated downtown with clean, renewable energy since 1983,” the city said in a news release Thursday. “The city is proactively replacing the entire original system with new, leak-resistant pipes in the coming years.”
Reporter Sally Krutzig contributed.
This story was originally published September 24, 2025 at 5:03 PM.
