A water line replacement project was in the works along York Road before a major water main break blocked roads and forced some businesses to close over the weekend in Baltimore County.

Lauren Buckler, the director of Public Works and Transportation, said the project consists of adding a new water line and later cutting off the old 30-inch line.

On Friday, an aging 30-inch water main ruptured on York Road between Schilling Road and Ashland Avenue, which remains closed.

Baltimore County officials had hoped to open the road fully by Monday, but now it appears it won't be until Tuesday, as contractors continue to patch up the road.

"I want to thank the citizens who have worked with this logistics," Buckler said. "I know that it's difficult. I know it's annoying not to have water. It's annoying to have road detours."

Water line replacement could take 2 more years

Buckler said the next phase of the water line replacement project was going to be on York Road, from Wight Avenue to Shawan Road, which would cover the area where Friday's broken water main sent water flowing onto the streets.

"That section is designed," Buckler said. "We're moving forward toward bidding construction. We hope to be awarding construction by the end of this calendar year."

Buckler said the county has worked on this project for more than two decades, and it could take two more years to complete.

"This is still a busy section of road," Buckler said. "There will be a lot of traffic maintenance while we're doing that. So, it's not that we just shut down and move full steam ahead like this was because this was an emergency." 

Businesses reopen in the area

Several businesses along York Road are fortunate to be back open and see repair work moving quickly.

"The workers here did a great job," said Trey English, from Brooks-Huff Tire & Auto Centers.

"We're very thankful for the around-the-clock fixings," said Samantha Giancola, the owner of Bagel Works Hunt Valley.

Over the weekend, businesses like Bagel Works Hunt Valley took a big hit.

"We lost money on our wholesale accounts. We lost money on our catering," Giancola said. "So, we will rebuild that. Hopefully, we'll have a great sales week."

English said business at Brooks-Huff Tire & Auto Centers is slowly picking up after a slowdown due to the water main break.

"We have some business filtering in," English said.

English said it hurts to see businesses closing, even for a few days, while crews close and repair the roads.

"These are small businesses, and missing a day can ruin your entire budget for the month," English said.

Frustrations still remain on York Road as the business owners question whether they have to prepare for another water main break in the future.

"I do think that we all need to take a look at what it's going to look like to fix, maintain, rebuild to a consistent place where this won't happen again," Giancola said.

"This all could have been avoided if it had been addressed immediately or sooner rather instead of kicking the can down the road," English said.