A gas main strike in Sandy Springs forced the evacuation of nearly 100 homes Wednesday, Oct. 7. The rupture shut down a stretch of Johnson Ferry Road through rush hour.
A third-party contractor hit the gas line around 2 p.m. near the intersection of Johnson Ferry Road and Sandy Springs Circle, according to 11Alive. The location sits near Fire Station 2 and the City Springs district.
Sandy Springs police closed Johnson Ferry Road from Sandy Springs Circle to Bonnie Lane/Wright Road and urged residents to stay away. The city posted a separate alert on X stating the road was also closed between Abernathy Road and Sandy Springs Circle, suggesting a wider closure zone.
Police said nearby businesses were evacuated along with the homes. The department's Facebook Community Alert, posted just before 2 p.m., told residents to follow instructions from emergency personnel on scene.
Atlanta Gas Light said in a statement that the contractor was performing work unrelated to the utility. Company crews responded and shut off the gas around 5 p.m.
To complete the repair, Georgia Power cut electricity to the surrounding area. The city said in an Oct. 7 update on X there was no estimated time for power restoration.
11Alive journalist Cody Alcorn, reporting from the station's helicopter, described the scene:
Aerial footage showed utility trucks with a digger derrick and traffic cones lining the road.
The closure snarled traffic on surrounding streets. Rough Draft Atlanta reported that the shutdown threatened to gridlock rush-hour routes around City Springs, including Roswell Road and Mount Vernon Highway.
The city confirmed Thursday, Oct. 8, that repairs were complete and Johnson Ferry Road had reopened.
No injuries were reported.
The identity of the contractor that struck the line has not been released.
