SAN DIEGO (KGTV) — A 16-inch pipe burst on Pacific Highway Tuesday afternoon, sending water rushing through the area near Seaport Village and forcing six businesses at The Headquarters at Seaport to close during the dinner rush.
A city official says crews will work into the night after the break sent water flooding from the Seaport Village entrance all the way to the boardwalk by the bay.
Ramon Galindo, Senior Public Information Officer for the City of San Diego, said crews had to open up the street to access the break.
"Crews here using the backhoe, heavy machinery, other trucks, they've had to kind of open things up a little bit more just to make sure that they can work around the break."
Galindo said water service had to be shut off as a result of the break.
While most hotels, apartment buildings and businesses in the area were unaffected, six businesses inside The Headquarters at Seaport were not as lucky.
Signs were taped at their entrance and the doors at Cheesecake Factory were locked shut — places that would have been filled with people for Tuesday night dinner sat empty inside.
Daniel Trinh was hoping to celebrate his birthday at one of the affected restaurants.
"So my boys were gonna take me to...What is it? Eddie V's Island Primes? We didn't make reservations. So, when we came down here, we saw all this stuff. We're like, Oh, this looks bad," Trinh said.
A portion of Harbor Drive was also closed as city crews worked shin-deep in dirty water to address the aftermath.
The flooding has since cleared, but crews will remain on scene at least through the night as they worked to investigate the cause of the break.
Galindo said most water main breaks are the result of aging infrastructure and old pipes made of metal or concrete that have deteriorated. However, he said the pipe that burst appears to be PVC — a more modern material that should have a longer life.
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