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Monday Commute Smoother With Downtown Water Main Repaired

PITTSBURGH (KDKA) - Traffic is once again flowing along Fort Pitt Boulevard in downtown Pittsburgh after a massive water main break forced drivers to find alternate routes last week.

"I came down [Fort Pitt Boulevard] and saw that it was blocked off at [Wood Street] and traffic was crazy," Heather Feliciano said.

The break happened along Fort Pitt Boulevard at Wood Street Thursday morning.

A stretch of the road looked more like a river and water soon began pouring into the Bathtub.

Once the water was turned off, the waterfall stopped and crews went to work. Repairing the 12-inch line was not easy and was time-consuming.

Workers had to hand dig because of a 20-inch gas main that was located in the same trench.

"On Thursday night, when I was walking back to my car, I saw that there was a big hole in the ground from where they were fixing it. So, I figured this might take a while to fix. I'm glad it's fixed now," Pat Graham said.

The break also caused some big problems for people who park downtown. All of the spaces at the Mon Wharf were off limits, but drivers were very relieved to have these spots back on Monday.

"You know, you work every day and you need to have your space to park, so I'm happy its open," Valerie Lamanna said.

"I held my breath on the way into work, hoping that it was going to be open and thankfully it is. It will make the week a lot easier," Feliciano said.

"I didn't know where else to park and it's always a lot more expensive to park anywhere else, so that was rough," Graham said.

All 700 Mon Wharf spots are once again available.

Plus, all the traffic restrictions have been lifted which made for a much smoother Monday morning commute.

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