Officials: Structural Integrity Of Convention Center Fine

COLUMBUS, Ohio-- Thousands of gallons of water gushed through the Convention Center Wednesday morning, leaving major damage in its path.

The early-morning water main break was contained, but caused an evacuation of the building and the west side of High Street.

High Street’s southbound lanes are open now; northbound lanes, between Goodale and Nationwide, remain closed, NBC 4's Mike Bowersock reported.

Officials said a 16-inch water main connecting a fire hydrant to the Convention Center broke underneath the building at about 2 a.m., forcing water inside.

There was a fear Wednesday morning that the center would collapse, but officials in the afternoon said that the structural integrity of the building is fine, NBC 4's Tom Brockman reported.

Officials said at least four cement pillars in the center's north end showed signs of potentially serious damage earlier today.  

EXCLUSIVE: NBC 4 obtained exclusive photos from inside the convention center. Check them out by clicking on Gallery to the left.

"It is floating concrete slabs, and they’re doing what they were supposed to do. However, once the floor started to move, it started shifting some of the columns. Some of the drywall is falling off of the pillars. So we had a major concern that there might be a structural collapse," Battalion Fire Chief Doug Smith said.

Though officials said the damage is likely in the millions of dollars, it’s not known how long the center will be closed for repairs and cleaning.

Business owners are concerned about the impact that the center's closing for any amount of time will have on area business, and center employees are temporarily out of work, Bowersock reported.

As many as 75 workers preparing for a Longaberger Basket convention were evacuated.

Officials with Department of Public Utilities said the water main dates back to the 19030s, but the lines have been known to last more than 100 years.

Rick Tilton with the department said that if a line has a number of breaks or problems, they will consider replacing it. While Tilton said he is not aware of any problems with the specific line that broke, they are investigating the incident.

The water has been restored and officials recapped the line -- under the sidewalk, not the building.

Crews will work through the night to clean up most of the building to ensure that two-thirds of the facilities will be open for business on Thursday.

Convention Center officials said that only the north end of the building will be out of service for an undetermined period of time. There has not yet been an estimate on the cost of damage.

The Longaberger event is scheduled to begin Thursday. The Ohio Nursery and Landscape Show is next weekend, and the annual Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. birthday breakfast is on Jan. 21. All events are expected to continue as scheduled.

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