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Broken water pipe snarls traffic

An 8-inch water pipe under a Tarpon street cracks, forcing the city to close the street for the day. It should be open today, a city official said. The pipe was scheduled to be replaced next year.

By ROBIN STEIN
Published December 13, 2005

TARPON SPRINGS - A broken water pipe flooded one business, deprived three others of water for several hours and snarled traffic on Pinellas Avenue all day Monday.

About 2 a.m., a police officer on patrol reported what appeared to be a bulge in the asphalt on Pinellas Avenue between Tarpon Avenue and Orange Street, said Tarpon Springs police Sgt. Jeff Young.

The subterranean flood, it turned out, was the result of a cracked 8-inch water pipe, said Juan Cruz, the city's public services director.

Installed in the 1950s, the pipe was part of the line that is scheduled to be replaced next year as part of a Florida Department of Transportation downtown road improvement project.

"I came in this morning and everything was soaked," said Katerina Markryllos, the office manager of MJM Construction.

The carpeting and baseboards had to be removed and industrial pumps and fans brought in to dry out the office, she said. No damage estimate had been made Monday afternoon.

Down the block, workers at Fournos Bakery were able to serve food but said they had been forced to send customers elsewhere for coffee, at least until water service was restored in the early afternoon.

Pinellas Avenue remained closed between Tarpon Avenue and Orange Street while city crews worked to replace several feet of the pipe. An estimated 17,700 cars and trucks a day use that section of Pinellas Avenue.

Cruz said he expects the street to be open today.

Despite the aging network underneath Pinellas Avenue, pipe problems have been rare, Cruz said.

"The city has had a pretty aggressive program in phasing out older sewer and water lines," he said.

[Last modified December 13, 2005, 01:31:15]