Gas line break shuts down highway

WASILLA — Crews working on the Parks Highway expansion project severed a gas line Tuesday, sending emergency responders scrambling to evacuate the area.

All-told, Central Mat-Su Fire Chief James Steele said, the incident lasted about an hour, from 9:30 a.m. to about 10:30. The break was at Parks Highway and Lucus Road.

“It was a 4-inch line that was actually broken, so Enstar (Natural Gas) was very quick to respond,” Steele said.

Steele said that his crews shut traffic down in all directions and started evacuating the area, starting at the intersection and heading north toward Spenard Builder’s Supply because that was the direction the wind was blowing.

“In the process of our evacuations, Enstar was able to get down into the big hole that had been dug and were able to clamp off both sides of that break itself and were able to contain and control the line,” Steele said.

Alaska Department of Transportation Spokeswoman Jill Reese said that traffic was shut down completely for 45 minutes. Immediately afterward, the department shut down the traffic signal at that intersection and used flaggers to clear the traffic out. That took about 20 minutes.

She said that the crew that severed the line was from Quality Asphalt Paving and that it was working to install a new storm drain there.