UPDATE: South Anchorage intersection reopened following natural gas leak

(KMVT)
Published: Sep. 21, 2017 at 11:19 AM AKDT
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12:00 p.m. Update:

In a statement issued by the Anchorage Fire Department, who responded to the road closure, the roads have been reopened along O'Malley and Lake Otis.

The surrounding area traffic will not be restricted, AFD said.

Original Story:

An intersection in South Anchorage was closed Thursday morning due to what the Alaska Department of Transportation called a "gas leak."

The leak closed down the intersection of Lake Otis and O'Malley early Thursday, and stemmed from a natural gas line maintained by Enstar.

DOT said multiple responders including Enstar were on the scene to assist with the incident. "A construction line was hit during excavation," explained Lindsey Hobson, a spokesperson for Enstar.

Hobson characterized the gas leak as a "line break" and said that it was significant, as it was "a larger line, a six inch diameter line."

The closure was announced by DOT after the line was struck around 10 a.m., but Hobson said the line was hit "just after 9 a.m."

While repairs are being made, Hobson said the lines carrying the gas had been shut off in three different locations. But, due to where the gas was shut off, no customers or businesses lost service during the time.

Traffic in the area was diverted to neighboring streets.

This, after a closure of the intersection was planned for Friday and through the weekend, for the road to be worked on.