PORT ANGELES — Marine Drive and Tumwater Truck Route in west Port Angeles opened fully to traffic Wednesday afternoon after crews repaired the section of roadway that was damaged by a water main break Monday.
Access to Cedar Street from Marine Drive, the intersection where the break occurred, was expected to remain closed until this morning.
City officials had issued an emergency declaration Tuesday following the break of the 10-inch water main, which has been repaired.
It paved the way for Lakeside Industries to start an estimated $125,000 in repairs related to the break, city Public Works and Facilities Director Craig Fulton said.
Fulton, saying the cast-iron water main buried 4 to 5 feet deep is 74 years old, attributed the breach to its age.
“They rust,” he said. “I can’t tell you what the exact reason was. Age is the primary factor and degradation of the pipe over time.”
Break repaired
The declaration allowed city officials to bypass lengthy bidding procedures and immediately hire Lakeside Industries, which Fulton said has the only asphalt batch plant in the area.
Fulton said the street repairs will allow emergency vehicles faster, unfettered access to an area that includes the city’s industrial sector, the west side of Port Angeles Harbor, Nippon Paper Industries USA and Coast Guard Air Station/Sector Field Office Port Angeles on Ediz Hook.
Port of Port Angeles spokeswoman Holly Hairell said the traffic disruption had forced port officials to adjust traffic patterns for truck drivers entering Terminal 3, where a log ship was being loaded.
Water cut off
Terminal 3 was without water for 24 hours after the break, pushing the port to bring in portable toilets for workers.
Fulton said the estimate for repairs does not include city labor and equipment costs to repair the pipeline.
City workers also repaired a second, smaller 2-inch water-line break at Fourth and Jones streets, but Marine Drive was the main area of concern.
The break that gushed water into the street also turned water in some city customers’ toilets and sinks a rusty brown color — but did not pose a danger.
“Pipes and water have been chlorinated, and discoloration that is seen in the water is from rust that has lodged in the inside of the pipes,” Fulton said.
Much of the damage caused by the break was invisible to the naked eye.
When a 10-inch pipeline blows water under high pressure, it pushes up on asphalt, and the soil underneath is pushed away, forming voids.
“It’s a major service line that impacts a lot of customers, and it has significant destructive forces on roads,” Fulton said.
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Senior Staff Writer Paul Gottlieb can be reached at 360-452-2345, ext. 5060, or at pgottlieb@peninsuladailynews.com.
