A major northeast Atlanta thoroughfare reopened Thursday night after a predawn water main break flooded the roadway.
The break, near the intersection of DeKalb Avenue and Elmira Place, was reported just before 6 a.m. Emergency repairs were completed around 8 p.m. and water service was restored.
But it's not all over yet.
Crews will continue to repair the street Friday, resulting in single lane closures, authorities said.
Thursday morning, the water was as much as 3 feet deep in front of Fox Bros. Bar-B-Q, according to Atlanta police dispatchers.
Shortly after 7 a.m., a repair crew located and closed a valve leading to the broken pipe, stopping the flow of water.
The standing water had receded by 7:30, but DeKalb Avenue remained closed in both directions until Thursday night. Mark Arum in the AM750 and 95.5FM News/Talk WSB Traffic Center suggested McLendon Avenue and I-20 as alternates for motorists who normally use DeKalb Avenue.
Chad Gerosa, who was preparing to cook baby back ribs, said the flooded street wouldn't keep Fox Bros. from opening Thursday.
"We were here when half of Atlanta was stuck on the interstate all iced up, and we ran a normal day," he told The Atlanta Journal-Constitution early in the day.
"We had a lot of neighbors who could get here by foot, and it probably won't stop us at all today. We'll be open."
Neighbor Danny Feig-Sandoval was out walking his dog Daisy when they came upon what he said "looks like a lake."
"I saw the [news] helicopter over our house and had to check out what's going on," he said. "That's a lot of water coming out of there."
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