A broken water main flooded traffic lanes and parking lots in a bustling Midway-area commercial district late this afternoon.
The ruptured 12-inch-diameter underground pipe began sending waves of water across the roadway in the 3300 block of Rosecrans Street shortly before 4 p.m., according to the San Diego Water Department.
It took a crew about an hour to halt the deluge, which sent "a lot of water'' surging through the area, SDWD spokesman Arian Collins said. It was not immediately clear if any structural flooding resulted.
The mishap left four businesses, including a motel, temporarily without water service.
City officials hoped to get the PVC main patched and the roadway reopened by midnight, according to Collins.
