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Water Main Break Shuts Down Part Of Beltway

By: Jessica Jordan // January 24, 2011
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A water main break Monday morning covered a parking lot with 3 to 4 feet of water, then traveled downhill and onto the Beltway.
Jessica Jordan
A water main break Monday morning covered a parking lot with 3 to 4 feet of water, then traveled downhill and onto the Beltway.

Crews are cleaning up after a massive water main break that has shut down part of the Beltway in Prince George's County, Md., between Central Avenue and Ritchey Marlboro Boulevard.

The water main break also flooded local businesses, like the IT business of Cee Adams. Monday morning, Adams was sifting through what was left: water-soaked computer chairs, broken windows and destroyed computer hardware.

"My whole business is gone. The entire office inside is wet. I got computers on the floor, my printers are damaged...I've got to go call my insurance company. I don't know what I'm going to do. This is my livelihood," he says.

A water main busted behind a row of businesses near the Beltway, pumping 3 to 4 feet of water through the parking lot, busting up concrete and turning over cars.

It then traveled downhill, dumping several feet of water onto the Beltway. Freezing temperatures caused a layer of ice to form over a portion of the lanes.

Crews say it will take hours to clear the water and ice from 495.

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