PORT TOWNSEND — A water main break at the access point to downtown Port Townsend was repaired ahead of schedule Tuesday morning, with Water Street reopened for traffic at about 11 a.m.
The aging pipe broke at about
3 a.m. Sunday on Water Street in front of the Tides Inn.
Water Street, which is also state Highway 20, was flooded all the way to the Food Co-op at 414 Kearney St.
City Engineer Dave Peterson said Tuesday the 12-inch-diameter pipe was about 40 years old and added that similar breakages have taken place along the same route, the most recent one about five years ago.
“It’s not a common occurrence, but it happens,” he said.
Peterson said no cost estimate has been made for the repair.
He said the cause of the breakage is under investigation.
“The pipe split,” he said.
“We don’t know what made it
happen.”
City crews shut down the water between the Washington State Ferry terminal on Highway 20 and Kearney Street until the pipe was replaced Sunday afternoon, but the road needed to be shored up and repaired.
Crews at first said it could take all week to reopen the road but later amended that estimate to Tuesday afternoon.
During the closure, traffic was routed up Washington Street and onto Quincy Street for access to downtown.
The Bayview Restaurant at 1539 Water St. reopened Tuesday morning.
It had been closed Sunday and Monday because the road had been closed.
Water came inside the Food Co-op building, but it was cleaned up, and the store reopened at its regular time Sunday morning.
Crews accessed the broken pipe through pavement that was located on the side of the street in the area that is used for a bike lane.
That area was patched but will need to be redone in warmer temperatures, Peterson said.
Jefferson County Reporter Charlie Bermant can be reached at 360-385-2335 or at charlie.bermant@peninsuladailynews.com.
