The Revitalist

Cleanup after the Sept 12th steam pipe explosion on Otis Street.

There was another steam pipe explosion in downtown Boston over the weekend. A pipe in front of the Brooke Courthouse on New Chardon Street burst and sent chunks of asphalt flying into the air, along with a small amount of asbestos that was part of the pipe insulation. No one was injured. This is the second pipe explosion this summer, following on the heels of a massive explosion in NYC in July. After that incident Mayor Menino proposed to have the state Department of Public Utilities regulate Boston's steam system. And after the September explosion here, Trigen, owners of the network of steam pipes beneath the downtown, said that they would immediately begin inspections of the entire 22-mile system. I guess they hadn't gotten to New Chardon Street yet.

With the Big Dig, we became briefly aware of the chaotic and deteriorating state of the utilities underneath the city. But this kind of thing doesn't capture the public imagination for long (especially not when there are stories like this). Let's hope that multiple exploding steam pipes is enough to get some action before someone really gets hurt.