Lexington Water Main Break Jams Route 128 Traffic
BOSTON (CBS) - A water main break in Lexington caused traffic to back up on Route 128 for miles during rush hour Thursday morning.
The pipe started leaking around 6:30 a.m. near the intersection of Massachusetts Avenue and School Street, and the water flooded nearby homes. The water also ran all the way down to the Mass. Ave. bridge over Rte. 128, where it poured onto a median in the highway.
Police shut down a lane of traffic on each side and brought sand trucks in to handle ice forming on the road.
WBZ-TV's Alana Gomez reports.
While work crews rushed to fix the break, homeowners surveyed the damage after the second water main break in just six months for that area.
"(The basement) was completely renovated from the last July 3rd mess, so it is just loaded with mud, loaded with water. All the rugs are gone. All the flooring is gone, so we have to have all that done again," said Maria Pevidis, a homeowner.
Helen Jung, meanwhile, waded through her basement and found many of her family's valuables were destroyed.
"This time, (the break is) even worse," said Jung.
City officials said pipes in the area are about 90 years old, and they hope to replace them within the next year.
