The Philadelphia Water Department expects workers to return to the rainbow crosswalks at 13th and Locust streets in the Gayborhood “sometime in the near future,” John DiGiulio, spokesperson for the water department, told PGN Wednesday.
“Timewise, I don’t know what day we’ll be back,” DiGiulio said. “Workers are still looking for a leak in the area.”
He said crews would most likely work in the evening when traffic is light, as they did on Monday night, when passersby mistook them for vandals.
A man in the area called police Dec. 28 when he spotted two men, one with a sledgehammer and another with a chisel, whacking at the rainbow crosswalks. The men had left the scene by the time police arrived.
The water department posted on its Facebook page that workers were trying to uncover a buried valve box cover to identify the location of the leak. The crew had parked its truck on the 200 block of South Broad Street.
“We understand that without a marked vehicle in the immediate vicinity, it was not obvious to the casual observer that we were performing legitimate utility work,” the water department posted Tuesday on its website, www.phillywatersheds.org.
DiGiulio told PGN Wednesday that when water-department workers return to the rainbow crosswalks, they can be identified by their uniforms: blue shirts that say either “Philadelphia Water” or “PWD” on the front pockets and backs. Some workers also wear bright green. He noted the water department is undergoing a rebranding, so some uniforms may vary.
“People can always ask them,” DiGiulio said.
Around a manhole cover on the rainbow crosswalks, there are blue arrows, called PA 1 markings, which are temporary. DiGiulio said not all the markings on the rainbow crosswalks are from the water department. Some represent the work of PECO and Verizon among others.
“They don’t get removed,” DiGiulio said. “They’re not permanent. They’re designed to eventually go away on their own.”
DiGiulio said if the leak investigation requires crews to dig up the area around the rainbow crosswalks, the road would be replaced and repainted.
“We would return it as it is,” he said.
The leak was originally reported Dec. 22 at Broad and Locust streets. Crews have been investigating the area since then, DiGiulio said. A property on Locust Street had water surfacing in its basement, which prompted the leak report. The investigation continues.