NEWARK — A major water main break has shut down more than six city blocks in the North Ward this morning and caused major diversions, police said.

A cause of the break hasn't yet been determined, city officials said.

A stretch of Bloomfield Avenue running from Clifton Avenue down to Broadway is closed due to the break and subsequent flooding, the Newark police said in an alert.

The city’s water and engineering personnel were still attempting to fix the water main break as of 9:30 a.m., detective Eugenio Gonzalez said. Streets surrounding the stretch of Bloomfield Avenue have also been closed, and diversions around the entire area are set up, Gonzalez added.

The break was reported at 4:43 a.m. in the area of 163 Bloomfield Ave., the police detective said.

The repair work is underway, city officials said.

"Our Division of Water and Sewer Utilities team is working around the clock to repair this broken water main and re-open these key roads to traffic," said Mayor Luis Quintana. "I urge motorists to allow extra time for travel in the snow and to use alternate routes.

"For our families who are being impacted by low water pressure as a result of this water main break, we ask them to be patient," the mayor added.

Water for residents in the area is safe to drink and use, city officials said.

Since Bloomfield Avenue is a county road, both Newark and the Essex County Sheriff are cooperating to re-route traffic, said David Lippman, a city spokesman.

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