A watermain break has forced crews to close part of 14th Street in the city's northwest — creating a major headache for Calgary commuters.

The watermain break on 14th Street N.W. has been causing some major traffic backups. (CBC)

Officials say 14th Street has been reduced to one lane each way between 24th Avenue to Northmount Drive N.W. with speed reduced to 30 km/h.

“That’s a major pinch point for us in terms of getting folks into the downtown core," said roads department spokesman Sean Somers. "So what we’re asking is, folks stay away from that area.”

Somers said it’s not known how long it will take to fix the broken watermain.

The same section of road was closed two weeks ago because of a watermain break.

Water line more than 60 years old

City officials are investigating whether the rupture was caused by the last round of repairs.

"With the pipe breaking like this so close together, we know that we've got all of our asset engineers focused on what that problem might be," said city spokesperson Scott Eagleson.

Unlike the last water main break, water service to homes in the area is not being affected. The water line is more than 60 years old.

Residents like Chelsea Cochrane wonder if this is going to keep happening.

"I mean there's two big water main breaks and sinkholes in two weeks," she said. "That's not very comforting for someone who lives along a major road or for people who have to drive along 14th."