Water main breaks keep intersections closed

By Mike Morris

The Atlanta Journal-Constitution

Crews from Atlanta's Department of Watershed Management continued to work early Thursday to repair a major water main break at the intersection of Memorial Drive and Boulevard. The heavily traveled intersection just north of I-20 remained closed at the beginning of Thursday's commute.

Water department officials said four new ruptures had been reported by noon on Thursday, bringing to 42 the number of breaks since the cold snap began on Jan. 1.

Another major intersection on the west side of town -- Washington Road and Delowe Drive in East Point --  was closed early Thursday due to a water main break. Motorists were urged to use Ben Hill Road as an alternative.

"You've got a double-whammy here," Watershed Management spokeswoman Janet Ward said. "As much rain as we've had, the ground gets saturated, then it gets really cold and the ground expands. Also, the water coming in from the river is much, much colder so [the pipes] are expanding from the inside. Plus, the pipes are old."