Water Main

A stretch of Charles Street that was damaged and closed after a 90-year-old water main broke beneath it and sent torrents of water downhill two weeks ago was reopened Wednesday night, according to Baltimore's Department of Public Works. The stretch reopened - "just in time for holiday travel," the city said - about 8:20 p.m., after being closed between W. North Avenue and W. 21st Street in the city's Charles North neighborhood Nov. 7. All sidewalks, road surfaces and utilities on the street damaged by the break are also fixed, the department said.

I had a passing thought: I was wondering if the Baltimore City Department of Public works has an ark stored somewhere ("City crews repair two more ruptures in aging water lines," Nov. 14). You know, just in case. Patrick R. Lynch, Nottingham

City work crews have located, removed and replaced the old pipe that ruptured Monday and sent water cascading through several downtown streets, fully restoring service to the affected neighborhood. By 9 a.m. Tuesday, a new 30-inch main had been installed, officials said. Testing of the new main lasted through the afternoon, an official said. Repairs were completed Tuesday night, and service was fully restored to the local customers who had been without water service or had experienced low pressure through much of the day, said Tiffani Church, a spokeswoman for the city's Department of Public Works.

As of 8:30 a.m. Tuesday, traffic was slow on I-97 northbound at Route 100 in Anne Arundel County, due to an accident. Accidents were slowing traffic on I-95 southbound at the Fort McHenry Tunnel in Baltimore City, I-95 northbound near Route 295 in Baltimore City, Priestford Road near Churchville Road in Churchville, Erdman Avenue near North Point Boulevard in Baltimore City, Liberty Road near Abbie Place in Baltimore County, Dogwood Road near Lord...

For the second time in five days, the city is dealing with two sizable water main breaks that are disrupting service, snarling traffic and shedding light on Baltimore's aging infrastructure. A 30-inch pipe at East Madison Street near Guilford Avenue broke Monday shortly before 8 a.m. and sent water gushing down Guilford Avenue as well as Fallsway. Businesses and institutions in a 12- to 14-block area either lost water altogether or saw pressure drop for a few hours, including at Mercy Hospital, Our Daily Bread and Center Stage . As the city worked to restore water pressure to most buildings in the downtown area, a 16-inch pipe broke in Essex, on Philadelphia Road at Rossville Boulevard, affecting water service to Franklin Square Hospital and Essex Community College, which canceled classes for the day. Kurt Kocher, spokesman for the city's Department of Public Works, said crews were responding to the new break, which is part of the city's water system.

As of 9 a.m. Monday, traffic was slow on Lombard Street near Lloyd Street in Baltimore City, due to an accident. An accident was slowing traffic on Fallston Road near Pleasantville Road in Fallston. A water main break was disrupting traffic around Madison Street and Guilford Avenue in Baltimore City. North Charles Street was closed between North Avenue and West 21st Street in Baltimore City, due to water main repairs. Officials recommend that motorists use Calvert or Howard streets or I-83 as alternative routes.

Shortly before 4:30 p.m. Monday, Sarah Weber walked out of Binkert's Meat Products in Essex and locked the door behind her - an early departure for the third-generation sausage and deli meats producer. Just down the hill, traffic narrowed and was pushed onto a shoulder as drivers passed a large, muddy hole in Philadelphia Road, surrounded by orange traffic cones and Baltimore public works crews. A 16-inch-wide, city-owned water main burst under the road Monday morning, cutting water to Binkert's and more than a dozen other businesses, 60 homes and two nearby institutions - MedStar Franklin Square Medical Center and the Community College of Baltimore County's Essex campus.

Baltimore Mayor Stephanie Rawlings-Blake was spot-on in her assessment of Wednesday's water main break when she pleaded for more funds to support the area's aging infrastructure ("Water infrastructure becomes a priority," Nov. 8). Unfortunately, scenarios like the flooding are along Charles Street are all too common. Many communities are struggling to solve their water woes, but federal funding for these systems has dwindled, creating a $29 billion gap that prevents municipalities from fixing their infrastructure.

Commuters north of downtown will see major traffic disruptions Thursday, as Baltimore deals with another problem with its aging water infrastructure - this time the failure of a 90-year-old main that closed the intersection of North Charles Street and North Avenue. Public water rushed south along Charles Street all day Wednesday, buckling pavement, shuttering businesses and temporarily displacing residents in the Charles North neighborhood after a 60-inch transmission pipe broke at the East 20th Street intersection.