Portion of downtown Macon street closed due to ‘emergency’ pipe issue. What we know

A stormwater pipe broke, and has caused some of a downtown Macon street to close until Wednesday, according to the Macon Water Authority.

The agency called it an “emergency stormwater pipe repair,” according to a news release.

A portion of the alley on Mulberry Street Lane near Third Street – near Downtown Grill, Gangnam Grill, Tokyo Alley and Quill – was under repair starting Monday, a news release from MWA said.

A detour was available through Second Street Lane, which cuts behind the Rookery toward Mulberry Street, according to a traffic control map from the MWA.

The pipe was filled with debris and “collapsed” after “rainwater eroded the soil beneath and around it, causing the pipe to drop and fill with debris” the agency said.

A local contractor will remove the brick and terracotta pipe under the road and replace it with “a new high-density polyethylene pipe,” the news release said. The material is known for its longevity and toughness, according to the Plastic Pipe and Fillings Association.