By Matthew Hay Brown, Annie Linskey and Gus G. Sentementes , matthew.brown@baltsun.com and annie.linskey@baltsun.com and gus.sentementes@baltsun.com|April 29, 2009
Round-the-clock work to repair a broken downtown water main was expected to snarl the morning commute for a second day Wednesday, the latest in a series of disruptions caused by the deterioration of the city's aging infrastructure.
Lombard and Gay streets, where a rupture in the 20-inch main early Tuesday flooded downtown, were to remain closed until the completion of repairs. Work was delayed yesterday while crews pumped out water, shut down gas lines and rerouted electricity.
"Barring a miracle, this is going to last at least into [Wednesday]," said Frank J. Murphy, the acting deputy director of operations for the city Transportation Department. Officials were urging commuters to avoid the area or consider taking mass transit to work.
The break, which was reported about 6:25 a.m. Tuesday, sent torrents gushing into the streets north of the Inner Harbor, shutting down water, electricity, telephone and Internet service and forcing businesses and government offices to close for the day. A City Council meeting on legislation to clean up the harbor was postponed, as was the death penalty hearing of convicted witness killer Patrick Byers Jr. at U.S. District Court.
"This is an example of what happens when you have a very aging infrastructure system," Mayor Sheila Dixon told reporters. Buildings in the area bounded by Lloyd Street on the east, Lexington Street on the north, Light Street on the west and Pratt Street on the south lost water, officials said; properties outside that perimeter suffered low water pressure or discolored water.
Matt Doud said traffic added 45 minutes to his commute from his Roland Park home to his office at 500 E. Pratt St. - and when he got there, the building was closed. His company, the advertising and public relations firm Planit, directed its 60 employees to work from home. Doud, the firm's president, was waiting Tuesday afternoon to learn whether occupants would be allowed to return on Wednesday.
"I think one or two days working remotely is one thing," he said. "But if it drags out longer than that, we may have to think of plan B."
As the water receded, city officials seized the opportunity to call attention to a problem they have warned about for years: the poor health of Baltimore's century-old network of pipes. Only Monday night, city public works spokesman Kurt Kocher had sent an e-mail to reporters suggesting articles about the age of the city's water, sewer and storm water systems.
