Part of 3rd Street Tunnel in D.C. reopens after water-main break, but repair work is expected to take days - The Washington Post

Much of the Third Street Tunnel reopened Tuesday, one day after a water-main break sent a deluge of water onto the road, but officials say it could be days before the highway will fully reconnect with downtown Washington.

Northbound and southbound lanes in the tunnel, which is part of Interstate 395, reopened south of Massachusetts Avenue NW, while the highway remained closed from Massachusetts Avenue to its terminus at New York Avenue NW. Chris Geldart, D.C. deputy mayor for public safety and justice, said northbound lanes might reopen in time for Wednesday morning’s commute, although work could take “several days” in the southbound lanes.

He said the southbound lanes sustained significantly more damage because they are at a lower elevation and had more standing water. Crews are finishing an assessment of damage, then will begin to make repairs.

“We need to make sure that it’s safe for people to drive on,” Geldart said.

The water intrusion stemmed from a broken eight-inch water main behind an auxiliary wall that flooded the road and left hundreds of nearby residents without water for hours. Crews on Tuesday were still pinning down the exact location of the leak.

D.C. Water said in a Twitter message Tuesday that the “location is challenging due to the fact it is in the tunnel and there are other utilities and infrastructure to deal with.”

David L. Gadis, chief executive and general manager of D.C. Water, said in a statement, “The good news is we were able to restore water service to all customers yesterday,” adding that about 600 customers were without water for several hours. He said utility crews and employees with city agencies and the mayor’s office were working to make repairs and reopen the road.

“This is arduous work, around-the-clock, in extreme heat,” Gadis said.

Geldart said there was no indication of structural issues in the tunnel beyond the road surface. He said crews were not sure what caused the main to rupture.

“We’re still trying to determine — as we are looking for the leak in the pipe — exactly where and how all this came to be,” he said.

The tunnel, which runs beneath the National Mall, is a major commuter thoroughfare into downtown Washington.

Other roads remained closed Tuesday in the vicinity of New York Avenue and the I-395 entrance. On Monday, the shutdown caused gridlock during the morning rush.

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Part of 3rd Street Tunnel in D.C. reopens after water-main break, but repair work is expected to take days - The Washington Post
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