Overview
- BWSC restored water service and finished paving roughly 48 hours after Tuesday’s rupture, reopening all lanes Thursday afternoon.
- The break poured an estimated 15,000 gallons per minute onto Columbus Avenue, flooding nearby buildings and partially submerging parked cars.
- Boston firefighters evacuated three daycares and assisted residents as police closed streets and the MBTA detoured bus routes 14, 22, 29, 41 and 44.
- Officials identified the failed section as cast iron installed in 1897 and rehabilitated in the 1990s, noting valve shutdowns on large mains can be complex.
- BWSC will pressure-test and monitor the adjacent 36-inch transmission line as cleanup and property damage assessments continue.