Officials have closed Lake Center Parkway near Buford Dam Road after a driver struck a fire hydrant at the intersection. 

The impact broke the hydrant away from the water main underneath the roadway, and sent thousands of gallons of water gushing onto Buford Dam Road.  By the time a city utility crew was able to shut off the flow, water was coming out from under the pavement in several places, some as far as 30 feet away from the crash. 

Workers say they won't know for certain how long Lake Center Parkway will be closed until they are able to dig up the area of the leak and see how much damage was done to the road base beneath the pavement. 

The driver told a Cumming Police officer that he'd turned onto Buford Dam Road and was trying to merge left when he went off the road and into the hydrant.