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

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.

#yourdecaturpolice TRAFFIC UPDATE: As of 5:20 am Tuesday, Feb 18th Clairemont Avenue has re-opened. #ATLtraffic pic.twitter.com/xNDiY0ld92
— Decatur Police GA (@cityofdecaturpd) February 18, 2020

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

Good news! We just watched crews wrap up their work on Clairemont Ave at Scott Blvd! Water main & damaged road repair wrapped up & all lanes are open this morning! #ATLtraffic @wsbradio @wsbtv pic.twitter.com/KQVlAKNDjA
— Mark McKay 🚁 ☀️ (@mckayWSB) February 18, 2020

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.

DeKalb crews are working to isolate and repair a 20-inch water main break at 920 Clairemont Ave., Decatur.
All lanes on Clairemont Ave. are closed from Scott Blvd to North Decatur Rd Any customer experiencing brown water should run their faucets until the water is clear.
— DeKalb Watershed (@DeKalbWatershed) February 16, 2020

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

About the Authors

Fourth U.S. soldier who went missing in Lithuania has been identified

The U.S. military on Wednesday identified the fourth American soldier from Georgia’s Fort Stewart found dead after going missing during a training mission in Lithuania.