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Roads reopen after water main break, gas leak in NE Atlanta

ATLANTA — Auburn Avenue at Jesse Hill Jr. Drive in northeast Atlanta reopened at about 8:30 a.m. on Sunday after a broken water main and gas leak left a big mess in the busy area.

Crews worked throughout Saturday night to fix the problems that caused frustrations for residents and business owners in the area.

"It looks like a disaster and, of course, it should have been avoided,” Mangos Caribbean Restaurant owner Matthew Nelson told Channel 2's Ashley Swann.

His restaurant was without water service Saturday night.

An Atlanta Watershed Management official said a contractor working on the Atlanta Streetcar Project, a major city project designed to bring businesses and jobs near the downtown area, hit lines late Saturday afternoon.

Swann arrived at the scene at about 4 p.m. on Saturday, when she saw police, water and fire crews at the scene.

A similar water main break happened near the same spot less than a month ago. Nelson said the construction and now repeated breaks are washing away his business.

“I'm frustrated by the fact that the water is being affected, the gas is being affected,” he said. “If it continues like this, obviously I’m going to have to go ahead and shut down."

A Channel 2 Action News crew watched as crews pumped water out of the site to get to the breaks. Residents said they just want peace to their neighborhood restored.

“When you've had two water main breaks in 30 to 40 days," said resident Kevin Jones. "I understand the progress and the improvement, but I'm really hoping they get this project done, get the businesses opened back up where they can make as much money as they have been and we can live in some sort of peace."