Apr 19, 2009 6:48 pm US/Eastern
Water Main Break Floods Downtown Crossing
BOSTON (WBZ) ―
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The flooding struck the area of Washington and Lafayette Streets in the middle of the night.
WBZ
Streets in and around Downtown Crossing were flooded after a water main break early Sunday morning.
The flooding struck the area of Washington and Lafayette Streets around 3:30 a.m., while the normally bustling district was mostly empty.
The break closed off Washington Street between West and Essex Streets.
The water was up to knee-level in some areas and the flooding reached as far away as Stuart Street. There were immediate concerns of large amounts of water getting into basements of buildings and causing sidewalks to buckle.
According to Jeanne Richardson of Boston Water and Sewer, it was a 16 inch water main that broke and sent water rushing out onto the street. "Right now, we're focusing on making the repair in the street, and investigating the problem and making sure we get the roadway restored as quickly as possible."
Crews spent much of Sunday repairing the main. Richardson tells WBZ that they have been able to restore water service to homes and businesses in the area after they lost it overnight. Although no serious damage was done, some businesses had minor problems like the Lafayette Corporate Center. "(The) building is fine," said John MacDonald. "Two individual circuits affected should be back in a couple of hours. (They will) certainly be ready for our tenants tomorrow morning."
The cause of the break is still under investigation.
(© MMIX, CBS Broadcasting Inc. All Rights Reserved.)
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