Crews contained a water main break early Saturday morning that caused major flooding in and around the Boston Common.
Thousands of gallons of water could be seen gushing onto the sidewalks and on Charles and Boylston Streets near the Common, closing traffic to parts of the streets affected. The flooding also caused rocks and debris to litter the roads.
"I was walking by around 5:30 [a.m.], 5:45 [a.m.] and there was water just gushing out here," said Payal Salsburg, a resident nearby. "There were people on site here who had cordoned off the whole area and there was just water coming out."
"I get afraid maybe there could be a sink hole walking around here," said Boston resident Jack Kelley. "I think there needs to be an investment in the infrastructure in the city."
PHOTOS: Water Main Break Floods, Damages Streets Near Boston Common
According to the commission, the broken pipe was from the late 1800s but was rehabilitated in the 1980s. Since the break Saturday morning, work crews have already replaced the pipe and filled in the areas where they needed to dig, but officials say the necessary work of resurfacing the surrounding damaged streets will take a few days.
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"It happens, you know," said Salsburg. "Boston is an old city."
"Water keeps on bubbling up underneath the ground and washes away debris and stones in there, and it causes buckling on sidewalks and streets," Thomas Bagley of the Boston Water and Sewer Commission told NBC 10 Boston.
Bagley continued by mentioning the possible silver lining of the burst pipe.
"A lot of the water from the break made its way to the public gardens which is good, a lot grass over there. It will help the grass a lot."
