Capital Boulevard in Raleigh reopens after water main break
RALEIGH (WTVD) -- Good news for drivers commuting into downtown Raleigh Friday morning, officials reopened part of Capital Boulevard hours before the expected rush hour.
Three southbound lanes of Capital Blvd. between Huntleigh Drive and Brentwood Road, just north of I-440, had been closed since noon Wednesday after a water main break.
Crews had been working around the clock to repair the break and repave the roadway - estimating that it would not be reopen to traffic until 9 a.m. Friday because they had to wait for the newly-paved asphalt to set following high temperatures. However, authorities were able to open the roadway just before 5 a.m.
The closure caused heavy traffic delays in the area.
Officials have not said what caused the pipe to rupture. Ed Buchan with Raleigh's utilities department told ABC11 that there are a lot of old water lines in Raleigh, but the break did not appear to be age-related.
Buchan called the mess simply "unfortunate" that it followed another water main break in Raleigh this week along Six Forks Road. Crews still don't know what caused it to break.
The city repairs about 300 water main breaks a year, according to Buchan.
RELATED: Six Forks Road reopens days after water main break
