East Cold Spring Lane was closed at the edge of Morgan State University's campus in Northeast Baltimore while public works crews repair a water main break, a department spokesman said Tuesday.
The break occurred in the 1800 block of E. Cold Spring Lane, according to the spokesman, Kurt Kocher. The street was closed to traffic between Harford and Hillen roads, he said, and will be closed until at least Wednesday. About a dozen homes are affected.
As a detour, motorists were urged to take Echodale Avenue or 32nd Street. Argonne Drive remains closed at Harford Road due to bridge reconstruction.
Kocher said a separate water main break on Seven Courts Drive in Baltimore County had been repaired Tuesday. That break had left about 200 homes and one school without water.
This is at least the fourth break in a four-block stretch of Cold Spring Lane within two years, Kocher said, and the second within the past two weeks. Public works engineers were investigating a permanent solution as a result. "We can't continue this problem," he said.
The main, more than 80 years old, is close to the surface, leaving it more vulnerable to cold temperatures and vibrations from vehicles on the roadway above, Kocher said.
He asked residents and commuters for patience.
Within the past week, public works crews responded to main breaks in the 10000 block of Harford Road in Carney and on York Road near the Maryland State Fairgrounds in Timonium that required them to work in frigid temperatures, he said.
"The crews have done a remarkable job under the cold weather conditions," Kocher said.
When temperatures drop into the teens and 20s, homeowners should take precautions to ensure their water lines do not freeze and break, he added. The tips, available at the department's website, include shutting off water to outside pipes and letting a stream of cold water run through a basement tap.