A water main break in downtown Chapel Hill is expected to close part of a busy street for several hours on Friday.

The Town of Chapel Hill shared shortly before 10:30 a.m. that a leak along West Rosemary Street is causing the closure. The Orange Water and Sewer Authority later confirmed the leak to be near the intersection with Mitchell Lane.

Chapel Hill authorities said West Rosemary would be closed between Mitchell Lane and Church Street during the initial stretch of closure, with OWASA later adding the closure could be moved back to Andrews Lane — meaning just one block would be closed instead of two.

The water and sewer agency said that one customer is expected to be out of service as the leak is stopped and the main is repaired. No incident or immediate cause of the leak has been identified at this time.

The area closed along West Rosemary Street as OWASA repairs a water main break on Friday, July 1. (Photo via Google Maps.)

A spokesperson for OWASA confirmed to Chapelboro that the repair along West Rosemary Street is expected to last into Friday afternoon. Chapel Hill authorities encouraged motorists, bicyclists and pedestrians to use Franklin Street as a detour during the closure.

This is a developing story.

Photo via Orange Water and Sewer Authority.

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