Roosevelt Boulevard reopens after water main break in Tioga-Nicetown

TIOGA-NICETOWN (WPVI) -- All lanes of the northbound Roosevelt Boulevard are back open after a water main break caused a traffic nightmare in the Tioga-Nicetown section of Philadelphia Thursday afternoon.

The break itself happened after 2 p.m. Thursday at the intersection of Henry Avenue and Abbottsford Avenue, near a section of Henry Avenue that crosses over the boulevard.

The break sent water gushing down onto the northbound side of the boulevard, and the water then turned to ice.

Authorities initially shut down all northbound lanes of the Roosevelt Boulevard extension as road crews arrived and began spreading salt on the road to melt the ice.

"It's just hectic," said Tony Fischer of Olney. " It's chaotic out here, I'm trying to get home."

One northbound lane was reopened around 3:30 p.m. and traffic continued to crawl through the area during the evening rush until finally all lanes were reopened around 8:30 p.m.

Representatives from the water department said it started as a small leak a couple of days ago and then grew overnight into a break in a 12-inch water main.

The Water Department said it waited to turn off the water in order to give a nearby dialysis center time to make other arrangements for patients in critical care.

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