10th and Hemphill Closing for Month-Long Water Work

That busy intersection is shutting down Monday for emergency water valve replacement work. Crews will be out there Monday through Saturday for the next four weeks, so get ready for some serious detour action. It's all part of the city's water distribution maintenance program, which sounds less exciting than it actually is for your commute.

Hope you've got alternate routes planned if you regularly drive through 10th and Hemphill, because that intersection is about to become a construction zone for the next month. The city's shutting it down Monday to replace a large water valve, and crews will be working Monday through Saturday from 7 a.m. to 7 p.m.

Four weeks might seem like forever for a water valve, but this is part of Atlanta's ongoing effort to actually maintain our water infrastructure before it completely falls apart. Remember all those water main breaks we've been dealing with? This is the proactive approach to preventing those disasters.

The timing isn't great with spring warming up and more people wanting to be out and about, but at least they're tackling it now before summer hits. Expect detour signs everywhere and maybe give yourself some extra time if you're heading through that part of Midtown. The alternative is dealing with a massive water main break later, and trust me, that would be way worse.