Cleanup, repairs continue after massive Center City water main break

CENTER CITY (WPVI) -- More than three dozen businesses were affected by last week's massive 48-inch water main break in Center City.

Some have since re-opened, while others have not.



Jason Evanchik, owner of Time Restaurant on Sansom Street gave us a tour of the basement, where the watermark from the flooding is around five feet high.

He says, in the end, the damage total will likely top $100,000.

"It went into our refrigeration units, our walk-in boxes, our vegetables, prepared foods, our liquor, beer, wine," Evanchik said. "It all got contaminated with the water so we had to throw it all away."

He said he hopes to re-open his business within two weeks, but the other problem is the massive crater that remains at the corner of Sansom and Juniper streets.



The 48-inch main has been repaired but filling the resulting void has proven daunting, and the Philadelphia Water Department is only saying that this intersection will re-open to traffic "as quickly as possible."

And Evanchik says, like the old saying goes, time is money.

"I have people that need to be paid who are doing their jobs," he said. "Obviously, hopefully, everything will be covered eventually. But just as we go, we are running very tight on funds."




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