Giant hole in downtown withstands downpour; but fixes, 2nd leak remain
Heavy downpours that fell across the Baltimore region late Thursday afternoon caused no further damage to a massive hole in a downtown intersection, city public works officials said, though more rain was forecast through the night.
Then, on Friday, crews were expected to resume repairs that have paralyzed the intersection of two major traffic arteries since Monday, when a water main break caused flooding and major infrastructure damage at Howard and Pratt streets.
Still, they had yet to deal with a second underground leak two blocks to the north. Early Thursday morning, CSX crews noticed water dripping overnight in a rail tunnel that runs beneath Howard Street, alongside the collapsed road, and discovered another broken main near Howard and Baltimore streets.
Department of Public Works spokesman Jeffrey Raymond said the new leak is not affecting water service or rail tunnel traffic. And he said it was “not necessarily” related to the break in a 12-inch water main that sent water coursing through the rail tunnel, causing a train to derail and flooding areas around M&T Bank Stadium.
“We just want to make sure that we’re getting ahead of any other disruptions,” he said. “We’re just able to spot, locate, and fix a leak before it becomes a bigger problem.”
A widespread 2 inches of rain fell within about an hour Thursday afternoon as storms passed through Central Maryland. Public works crews had installed a bypass system and pumps ahead of that precipitation, fearing that flash flooding could cause further damage. But the heaviest rain did not fall downtown, and Raymond said the systems worked as planned.
More rain was in the forecast Thursday evening, but then dry weather is expected Friday and into early next week.
“It’s very important that we keep this area from flooding when those rains come,” Raymond said earlier Thursday.
While work is ongoing, several blocks of Howard and Pratt streets remain closed, and all traffic on northbound Interstate 395 is being diverted into Conway Street.
Light Rail service
is suspended between Camden Station and North Avenue, with a free shuttle service running between the stations, the Maryland Transit Administration said. Public works officials said they don’t expect Light Rail service to resume until after all other repairs to stormwater systems and the roadways are completed.
City officials said there is still no estimate for when the work will be finished, with crews waiting until Thursday’s rain passed before tackling repairs to a 36-inch stormwater drain that was also damaged Monday.
“We’re very well aware that over the next couple of weekends that there are some very high-profile events in Baltimore,” Raymond said. “We desperately want to provide whatever relief we can to traffic, but safety is going to be of paramount importance. We’re not going to rush into areas where repairs are dangerous or wouldn’t be able to be done fully.”
“We’re not going to rush into areas where repairs are dangerous or wouldn’t be able to be done fully.”