A water main break in South Tampa is already causing problems for people who live in the area and is expected to cause commuter chaos on Tuesday.

The pipe broke on the northbound side of S. Dale Mabry just south of the intersection of Gandy Boulevard and as a result, northbound Dale Mabry will be closed from Cherokee Ave. to Gandy Blvd. for three days for repairs. 

Crews from the Tampa Water Department are out in force Monday night working to fix the broken main that’s caused all this trouble.
 
Meantime, officials are warning drivers to brace for some major commuter chaos.
 
People who live south of Gandy try to put this scene into words.
 
“A mess,” said Amie Ziegler, a woman who lives just a few streets over. "A big mess."
 
"Oh, yes,” said Stephanie Leonard, another woman who lives nearby. “Disaster."
 
Both women said the neighborhood is already feeling the effects.
 
"No water pressure at the house,” said Ziegler. "None, at all."
 
They said even with all the warnings about Tuesday’s commute, people are already trying to navigate the back roads to get around.
 
"The traffic back here on the back roads in front of our houses is chaotic over there," said Ziegler.
 
While crews plan on working through Monday night and at least throughout Tuesday, neighbors wonder, what will the roads be like as commuters head out to work and school?
 
"Well, now I have to detour in the morning and take a different way to work," said Ziegler.
 
And with several schools in the area, they said it’s going to be even worse.
 
"And tomorrow's going to be the first day of school,” said Leonard. “So that's going to be a very bad thing."
 
So the hope?  They just want crews to get it fixed as soon as possible.
 
"I hope they get it cleaned up as fast as they can, especially like she said, with school starting tomorrow,” said Ziegler. “That's going to be a big problem because the schools are right back here."

 So the best advice?
 
You’ll have to find another route.
 
There’s always Westshore, MacDill, and Manhattan.
 
Stay tuned to Bay News 9 in the morning and we’ve got you covered with everything you need to know about how to navigate this traffic nightmare.