Water damage-main break drenches mall

A water main break yesterday under York Road in Baltimore County sent mud, stones and water coursing downhill into the parking lot of Yorkridge Shopping Center.

A section of the 12-inch cast-iron pipe ruptured about 1 p.m. yesterday under the southbound curb lane of York Road, one block north of Ridgely Road in Lutherville, said Kurt Kocher, a Baltimore City public works spokesman.

The break affected water service at the 15-acre Yorkridge Shopping Center and other nearby businesses, but Kocher said it could have been worse.

"Someone went around in a pickup truck and sandbagged a lot of the businesses, which saved a lot of potential damage," said Kocher, who said he didn't know who the person was.



Traffic along York Road was reduced to two lanes for most of the day as crews from Baltimore City and Baltimore County worked to repair the water line.

Andy Saylor, a cashier at Buttons Liquor, said the water main broke near Bertucci's Brick Oven Pizzeria in the 1800 block of York Road. He said he didn't hear of any businesses closing in the 47-year-old Yorkridge Shopping Center.

"The whole parking lot was flooded. People could park, but it was an inch - or two or three - and there were sticks and mud washing up through the storm drains," Saylor said.

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