Poole Road reopens in Raleigh after crews repair broken water main

City crews worked to repair the break at the intersection of Poole Road and Coke Street, completing the job before noon. Raleigh water officials initially estimated the repair would be finished by 3 p.m.

Raleigh Public Utilities Director Robert Massengill said the number of breaks always rises this time of year.

"We typically experience increased numbers of water main breaks as the temperature drop each winter, especially when we get into the teens," Massengill said in an email. "We experience over 300 water main breaks every year, most of which are concentrated during the winter cool down and again in late spring as the ground warm back up."

Massengill said the pipe that broke on Poole Road is from 1955, though it should have had "two or three more decades of useful life." Surrounding soil types, material quality and the quality of the initial installation, among other factors, can all have an effect on how long the pipes last, he said.