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Clairemont Avenue reopens in Decatur after 20-inch water main repair

The break shut down a major thoroughfare and flooded roads.
By and
Feb 18, 2020

Authorities have reopened a busy Decatur road Tuesday morning, nearly two days after a 20-inch water main broke and flooded nearby homes.

The main on Clairemont Avenue just before Scott Boulevard broke before 11 a.m. Sunday morning, forcing authorities to close all lanes from that intersection to North Decatur Road while crews worked to make repairs.

Repairs to the damaged pipe were completed at 4 a.m. Monday, according to officials. Clairemont Avenue was not reopened until 5:20 a.m. Tuesday.

Traffic is no longer being rerouted through the area, Decatur police said.

It is not clear what caused the break. Neighbors in the area told Channel 2 Action News they heard a loud bang before water came rushing into their front yards and flooded basements.

According to watershed officials, there was minimal service interruption in the area.

Crews temporarily paused the repairs Sunday afternoon after damage to a gas line was found. The damaged gas line was not related to the water main break, DeKalb County spokesman Andrew Cauthen said.

Atlanta Gas Light workers repaired the line, and watershed crews resumed work on the broken water main.

» For updated traffic information, listen to News 95.5 and AM 750 WSB and follow @ajcwsbtraffic on Twitter. 

About the Authors

Asia Simone Burns is a watchdog reporter for the AJC. Burns was formerly an intern in AJC’s newsroom and now writes about crime. She is a graduate of Samford University and has previously reported for NPR and WABE, Atlanta’s NPR member station.

Chelsea Prince is reporter and coach on the breaking news team.

Follow Chelsea Prince on twitter
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