'Like A Torrential Flood': Water Main Break Damages Part Of Huntington Avenue

BOSTON (CBS) - If you have to travel near the Prudential Center Thursday, be prepared for delays. The inbound lane of Huntington Avenue remains partially closed after a huge water main break Wednesday evening.

The break, which shot water up into the air like a geyser, forced Boston Police to close Huntington between Exeter and West Newton streets.

The good news is all buildings in the area have water service and one lane is getting by on both sides along Huntington Avenue as crews continue to work on repairs. They spent all Thursday morning digging out a portion of the street searching for what caused a pipe to break.

"The T-section with a 16-inch pipe broke. So we're taking that section of the pipe out," said Tom Bagley of the Boston Water and Sewage Commission.

A private contractor is now handling the time-consuming project.

Julia Cox ran into the scene on her way home Wednesday and says she was nervous for her morning commute.

"It made it a little tricky to get home, but I wasn't sure what the commute was going to be like. But it's a lot better this morning," Cox said.

The massive burst happened right outside for Prudential Center around 6 p.m. Wednesday, with water gushing from the road shooting straight into the air.

"It was kind of like a torrential flood," said witness Bridget Lindstrom. "It was pouring right down here. It just looked like there was a literal monsoon outside. It pushed all of this gravel and debris up here. It was insane.

Bagley says the pipe broke along Huntington Avenue between Ring Road and Harcourt Street, but they have not determined why.

"There's a lot of vibration that happens around here, work going on. We're not blaming anybody. We just don't know what happened," said Bagley. "They'll dig, find the section of pipe that's broken, or whatever is broken, replace it, repair it.

Bagley added that commuters should avoid the area Thursday, if possible. He also said some fire hydrants in the area were affected.

Pipe work is expected to last until the end of Thursday, and then the road should be fixed by the end of Friday.