Water Main Problems Will Slow New Hampshire Ave. Commute

A broken water main in Takoma Park will delay evening rush hour traffic along New Hampshire Avenue as crews continue work to restore the main and fix road damage.

All three northbound lanes of New Hampshire Avenue, at the site of the break, between Sligo Creek Parkway and Erskine Street in Takoma Park, Md. The 20-inch water main broke shortly before 4 a.m. today and closed traffic in both directions. Southbound traffic re-opened at 8 a.m. Crews did not expect to complete fixing the main until 9 p.m., said Mike McGill, a spokesman for the Washington Suburban Sanitary Commission.

Water pressure from the break has also damaged the northbound lanes, pushing up the roadway. McGill said the WSSC hopes to have road repairs completed before tomorrow's morning rush hour.

Motorists traveling north will be detoured around the area, and delays are expected on the busy thoroughfare.

Water service to area homes was restored by isolating the break. No homes were without service this afternoon, though some may experience lower pressure than usual, said McGill.

"You can never be 100 percent certain about what causes a break," said McGill. The pipeline was built in 1943, he said, and "age is the number one factor, but when you have cold weather and pressure from roadways it certainly helps exacerbate the problem."

The break this morning temporarily disrupted water service at Don Bosco Christo Rey High School, a 110-student Catholic school at 1010 Larch Ave. in Takoma Park, which was closed for the day.

In Germantown, officials said classes at Fox Chapel Elementary School were canceled because of a problem with water service that utility workers originally thought was a second water main break.

But Lyn Riggins, a spokeswoman for the WSSC, said the issue turned out to be a blown fire hydrant. Water service to the school, at 19315 Archdale Rd., was disrupted only briefly.

"There was lots of water flowing in the street, which people tend to assume is a broken water main," Riggins said. "We had to shut the main down to figure out what was going on."

Workers, who were called to the site about 5 a.m., soon realized that the problem was limited to the pipe leading to the fire hydrant. That valve was isolated from the rest of the system, and water service to the school was restored. But by then, school officials had canceled classes for the day, Riggins said.

"Had this happened three or four hours earlier, the school certainly would have been able to open, because it all would have been resolved," she said.