Last Thursday approximately 2 million gallons of water gushed from a concrete-encased cast-iron pipe in the HRBT's fire hydrant supply system, filled underground ducts and eventually caused the complete closure of the westbound tunnel as water pooled in the travel lanes.
V-DOT officials said at a press conference today that the break occurred 2,800 feet inside the western end of the tunnel and that water flowed for more than eight hours before the break was identified and traffic was diverted.
Officials said the pipe burst while maintenance crews were responding to multiple emergencies caused by the strong storm that struck the area that night. Teams had been dispatched to address downed power lines that closed the James River Bridge, power outages at the Monitor-Merrimac Memorial Bridge-Tunnel and HRBT, and well as the water pumps running unexpectedly at the HRBT.
While crews were dispatched to address these multiple issues the fire main break in the seven-foot high duct system beneath the roadway went undetected. The pumps meant to remove rainwater that collects in the tunnels underground containment tanks could not keep up with the amount of water flooding the tunnel and eventually malfunctioned, causing water to rise even more quickly.
Officials said the fire main break and the flooding beneath the tunnel were not directly related to the weather events taking place, although the break did occur at approximately the same time as the storm.
V-DOT Commissioner David S. Ekern said it will be several more weeks before the agency knows exact cause of the pipe's failure and identifies what caused the delay in discovering the flooding.
V-DOT officials said at a press conference today that the break occurred 2,800 feet inside the western end of the tunnel and that water flowed for more than eight hours before the break was identified and traffic was diverted.
Officials said the pipe burst while maintenance crews were responding to multiple emergencies caused by the strong storm that struck the area that night. Teams had been dispatched to address downed power lines that closed the James River Bridge, power outages at the Monitor-Merrimac Memorial Bridge-Tunnel and HRBT, and well as the water pumps running unexpectedly at the HRBT.
While crews were dispatched to address these multiple issues the fire main break in the seven-foot high duct system beneath the roadway went undetected. The pumps meant to remove rainwater that collects in the tunnels underground containment tanks could not keep up with the amount of water flooding the tunnel and eventually malfunctioned, causing water to rise even more quickly.
Officials said the fire main break and the flooding beneath the tunnel were not directly related to the weather events taking place, although the break did occur at approximately the same time as the storm.
V-DOT Commissioner David S. Ekern said it will be several more weeks before the agency knows exact cause of the pipe's failure and identifies what caused the delay in discovering the flooding.
