Third Route 1 water break in two days may snarl Route 1 traffic

SAUGUS – For the second night in a row Public Works employees have been called out in single-digit temperatures to repair a Route 1 northbound water break.Also for the second day in a row commuters can expect traffic delays since the break is once again in the passing lane, which will likely shut down traffic in two lanes.DPW Superintendent Joseph Attubato sent crews out around 9:30 p.m. Thursday after police notified him of an apparent water break near the Kowloon Restaurant. He said he was unsure of the extent of the damage pending a report from his men.”It’s a lot colder tonight,” he said. “I feel terrible.”Attubato said he also feels frustrated that nothing has been done to by way of replacing the 6-inch water line that suffers repeated breaks every winter.”I don’t know when it’s going to be replaced,” he said. “It dates back probably to the 1920s and it’s costing the town a lot of money.”Last year the town was able to switch the pipe on the upper part of Route 1, from the Main Street overpass up to the Lynnfield town line over from the 6-inch line that runs under the passing lane to a 10-inch line that had been run to feed fire hydrants under the side walk. There has not been a break that portion of the line since the switch. The lower section of Route 1 has not been so lucky however.”The town needs to do something,” Attubato said. “This is ridiculous and it’s costing us money.”