One lane remains closed after Cobb Parkway water main break

Crews continued to work Sunday to repair a large water main break that closed down a major Marietta intersection for much of Saturday night.

The broken main was near the intersection of Cobb Parkway and Roswell Street, close to the local landmark known as the “Big Chicken.”

Marietta police said at 8:30 p.m. Saturday that Cobb Parkway was shut down in both directions at Roswell Street.

Just before 11 p.m., crews were able to stop the estimated 10,000 gallons of water per minute flowing out of the broken 36- to 48-inch pipe, but had not yet pinpointed the location of the break, Channel 2 Action News reported.

Police reopened Cobb Parkway in both directions about 1:45 a.m. Sunday. A lane was later closed because authorities were worried Sunday morning that the ground under that lane was too soft for cars to drive on it, Channel 2 said.

Sgt. Tim Lemming told Channel 2 that the water main break was one of the largest he had seen.

The problem was worse than originally thought, and the repair work will be more extensive, with crews expected to be on the scene throughout Sunday.

Authorities blamed the water main break on a welding failure, Channel 2 said.