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| Crews work to fix 12-inch water main break in downtown D.C. that snarled commute | Crews work to fix 12-inch water main break in downtown D.C. that snarled commute |
| (35 minutes later) | |
| A 12-inch water main break in downtown D.C. caused headaches for thousands of commuters Tuesday morning, shutting down part of three Metrorail lines. | A 12-inch water main break in downtown D.C. caused headaches for thousands of commuters Tuesday morning, shutting down part of three Metrorail lines. |
| The pipe that broke was under 12th Street NW between E and F streets. The break was reported about 6 a.m. and caused water to gush into the streets. Water poured through a gutter gate on the northbound side of 12th Street, causing flooding on the tracks at the Metro Center station directly below. | The pipe that broke was under 12th Street NW between E and F streets. The break was reported about 6 a.m. and caused water to gush into the streets. Water poured through a gutter gate on the northbound side of 12th Street, causing flooding on the tracks at the Metro Center station directly below. |
| The water was shut off in minutes, D.C. Water officials said, but not before Metro had to suspend service. Service was suspended for almost three hours on the Blue, Orange and Silver lines between Farragut West and L’Enfant Plaza, with service first resuming at McPherson Square before being restored elsewhere. Just before 9 a.m., Metro said normal service resumed on all three lines, saying that the water receded faster than expected. | The water was shut off in minutes, D.C. Water officials said, but not before Metro had to suspend service. Service was suspended for almost three hours on the Blue, Orange and Silver lines between Farragut West and L’Enfant Plaza, with service first resuming at McPherson Square before being restored elsewhere. Just before 9 a.m., Metro said normal service resumed on all three lines, saying that the water receded faster than expected. |
| (Related: So that’s what a Metro station looks like when it floods) | |
| By midday, water crews were still working to repair the break. Officials from D.C. Water had said they expected it to take between 10 and 12 hours for the pipe to be fixed, but around 12:30 they estimated that the repairs would be finished between 6 and 8 p.m. | |
| The cause of the water main break wasn’t immediately known, but officials said they plan to investigate how the 61-year-old pipe broke. | The cause of the water main break wasn’t immediately known, but officials said they plan to investigate how the 61-year-old pipe broke. |
| Pamela Mooring, a spokeswoman at the D.C. Water agency, said it is not uncommon for water main breaks to happen more frequently at this time of year as temperatures fluctuate. Crews working in the rain hadn’t yet reached the pipe shortly before noon. | Pamela Mooring, a spokeswoman at the D.C. Water agency, said it is not uncommon for water main breaks to happen more frequently at this time of year as temperatures fluctuate. Crews working in the rain hadn’t yet reached the pipe shortly before noon. |
| Authorities had closed 12th Street NW between E and F streets as crews worked in the area throughout much of Tuesday morning. | Authorities had closed 12th Street NW between E and F streets as crews worked in the area throughout much of Tuesday morning. |
| In a Twitter message, D.C. Water officials apologized for the delays, saying it was a “crazy commute.” They also said, “We recognize the gravity of the situation and will repair as quickly and as safely as possible.” | In a Twitter message, D.C. Water officials apologized for the delays, saying it was a “crazy commute.” They also said, “We recognize the gravity of the situation and will repair as quickly and as safely as possible.” |
| Around 11 a.m., D.C. Water officials said in a tweet that they did not expect the water main break to impact Metro’s evening rush hour service but warned that 12th Street will “probably still be closed.” | Around 11 a.m., D.C. Water officials said in a tweet that they did not expect the water main break to impact Metro’s evening rush hour service but warned that 12th Street will “probably still be closed.” |
| By mid-morning, there were signs of the water’s damage as thick mud caked the corner of 12th Street and Pennsylvania Avenue NW. The sounds of jackhammers could be heard as half a dozen workers in neon green safety vests worked. | By mid-morning, there were signs of the water’s damage as thick mud caked the corner of 12th Street and Pennsylvania Avenue NW. The sounds of jackhammers could be heard as half a dozen workers in neon green safety vests worked. |
| Fixing a water main break that measures about 8 inches typically takes crews between six and eight hours, water officials said. But because this one is larger, they expected it to take longer. | Fixing a water main break that measures about 8 inches typically takes crews between six and eight hours, water officials said. But because this one is larger, they expected it to take longer. |
| Crews arrived in the midst of the morning commute and continued to work in the area as the lunch hour came. | Crews arrived in the midst of the morning commute and continued to work in the area as the lunch hour came. |
| Utility companies marked the locations of wires and other underground infrastructure along the block. After that, water workers are expected to drill several test holes and insert listening devices. | Utility companies marked the locations of wires and other underground infrastructure along the block. After that, water workers are expected to drill several test holes and insert listening devices. |
| Then, after the grate has been sandbagged to prevent further Metro flooding, the pipe will be recharged with water so that workers using the listening devices can identify where the leak is, according to D.C. Water officials. This way, they can excavate and fix it without having to dig up the whole blocking looking for the break. | Then, after the grate has been sandbagged to prevent further Metro flooding, the pipe will be recharged with water so that workers using the listening devices can identify where the leak is, according to D.C. Water officials. This way, they can excavate and fix it without having to dig up the whole blocking looking for the break. |
| The pipe that broke was installed in 1953. | The pipe that broke was installed in 1953. |
| “By our standards, 61 years is actually young,” said John Lisle, a spokesman for D.C. Water. “We have pipes dating to the 1860s, the Civil War. The median age of our pipes is 79 years old, which means more than half of them are older than this one.” | “By our standards, 61 years is actually young,” said John Lisle, a spokesman for D.C. Water. “We have pipes dating to the 1860s, the Civil War. The median age of our pipes is 79 years old, which means more than half of them are older than this one.” |
| There are several office buildings on the block where the pipe broke, but most if not all are fed by more than one water main. The extent of water disruption to these customers was not immediately clear. | There are several office buildings on the block where the pipe broke, but most if not all are fed by more than one water main. The extent of water disruption to these customers was not immediately clear. |
| D.C. Water officials posted in a tweet a picture of the water main break and said, “this is the troublesome sinkhole visiting for the holidays.” Lisle said the sinkhole was made by water crews to “get down to the pipe.” | D.C. Water officials posted in a tweet a picture of the water main break and said, “this is the troublesome sinkhole visiting for the holidays.” Lisle said the sinkhole was made by water crews to “get down to the pipe.” |
| On Metro, some riders took the morning delays in stride. | On Metro, some riders took the morning delays in stride. |
| Nick Toomey, 37, was more than two hours late heading to his office near Eastern Market on Tuesday, but the IT professional merely shrugged. His bosses knew he’d be delayed because of the water main break so he simply waited at home until Metro sent the all-clear signal before heading to Vienna to hop in a train. Usually, he’d be on a train by 7:45 a.m. | Nick Toomey, 37, was more than two hours late heading to his office near Eastern Market on Tuesday, but the IT professional merely shrugged. His bosses knew he’d be delayed because of the water main break so he simply waited at home until Metro sent the all-clear signal before heading to Vienna to hop in a train. Usually, he’d be on a train by 7:45 a.m. |
| He was still able to get an hour’s worth of work done — the wonders of telecommuting. | He was still able to get an hour’s worth of work done — the wonders of telecommuting. |
| As a seasoned Metro rider, he knows the drill he said. | As a seasoned Metro rider, he knows the drill he said. |
| “I make it a habit to always check [Metro’s] Web site before I leave the house,” he said. | “I make it a habit to always check [Metro’s] Web site before I leave the house,” he said. |
| Other Metro riders said they had received alerts via e-mail or Twitter, warning of the delays. Many commuters had longer than expected rides to work. | |
| Cynthia Foxwell was headed to Metro Center from Oxon Hill. With part of the Orange line shut down, she took her alternate route on the Red Line. But that meant dealing with a jammed Gallery Place station with other commuters who’d had the same idea. | |
| “When the train came, I got pushed in. Everybody was nasty. It was awful,” Foxwell said. “I got pushed into a gentleman and he pushed me back and I said, ‘Sir, I’m sorry, they pushed me in.’” | |
| Her normal exit at Metro Center was closed, and by the time she got to the Macy’s jewelry counter it was 8:05 a.m. She was 20 minutes late. “I hate being late. I pride myself on being on time,” Foxwell said. | |
| For those with terrible commutes to begin with, the Metro mess pushed things toward the edge of commuter sanity. Leah Singelstad set out from the Eastern shore community of Cambridge, Md. at 7:30 a.m. in her Honda Civic. | |
| She drives to Union Station twice a week and takes the Red line to Metro Center, a trek that usually takes her two and a half hours. On Tuesday, it was nearly three and a half. | |
| “You’re in the car a long time anyway. When you add another 45 minutes or an hour, you get claustrophobic,” said Singelstad, who works in accounting at a law firm. | |
| Many Metro commuters drove instead of getting caught in the subway madness downtown, snarling the roads in the process. A stretch of Route 50 that usually takes her 10 minutes took her more than 45 minutes. | |
| “Cheverly is where the traffic stopped,” Singelstad said, describing the town along Route 50, along the Orange Line. | |
| Aaron Davis and Michael Laris contributed to this report. |