Gas Line Break Forces Evacuation As Sixth Street Construction Begins


The scene on West Sixth Street Monday afternoon after a construction crew hit a natural gas line.

The first phase of the Sixth Street construction project began last week. The project is expected to be completed in nine weeks.

The Arbor Hills subdivision construction site. View is looking south from Sixth Street.

The massive Sixth Street construction project in Glenwood hit a bump in the road late Monday afternoon when a construction crew ruptured a natural gas line near the intersection of Sixth and Elm Street, bringing work to a halt and forcing the evacuation of the surrounding neighborhood.

The leaking gas could be smelled and heard spewing from the ruptured line from blocks away. Glenwood Fire & Rescue and Glenwood police officers responded to the scene and blocked off access to surrounding neighborhoods and advised residents to evacuate their homes. A temporary shelter for evacuated residents was set up at Grace United Methodist Church.

Black Hills Energy dispatched workers to the scene and announced shortly after 7 p.m. that gas was no longer leaking and necessary repairs had been made to allow evacuated residents of the area to return to their homes. Black Hills Energy crews continued working at the site into the night after the evacuation order was lifted.

The street construction project, expected to last nine weeks, is being carried out in conjunction with the start of the Arbor Hills housing subdivision project underway south of Sixth Street.

Sixth Street is currently a “chip and seal” surface road. It’s being converted into a concrete road with curbs, gutters and a sidewalk on the south side of the street.

The road project is divided into three construction phases – with each phase projected to last three weeks.

Residents along the north side of Sixth Street will not have access to their driveways when the portion of road in front of their house is being constructed.

Sixth Street is closed to all through traffic until conclusion of the project later this fall.

 

The Opinion-Tribune

116 S Walnut St Glenwood, IA 51534-1665
P.O. Box 377, Red Oak, IA 51566
Phone: 712-527-3191
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