STRONG - Fifteen customers were without natural gas service Friday when a contractor working on a waterline project along Route 61 in front of DaVita Dialysis hit a line and dislodged it from a main service line that feeds much of the area.
The potential danger to customers, however, was minimal, according Joseph Swope, communications manager for UGI Utilities.
"Natural gas is lighter than air. If a main is hit, all that is happening is the gas is dissipating into the atmosphere. We were able to get the gas shut off completely and the situation was quickly made safe," he said.
Emergency responders and gas company officials were first called to the scene mid-morning.
Northumberland County's Department of Public Safety reported just before noon that Route 61 between Kulpmont and Strong was closed because a gas line was struck during an excavation project, shutting down a mile's worth of pipe.
Motorists on Route 54 were able to cross Route 61 at the intersection in Strong, PennDOT reported, but the highway was closed from the intersection west to Kulpmont.
Because the pipe that was hit is made of steel, welders from Reading were called in to fix the problem. Steel is commonly used for natural gas pipes, but they can be made of other materials, including plastic and cast iron, Swope said.
At 8 p.m., Swope said the repairs were completed. He said service to customers' homes was expect to resume starting at 8:30 p.m.
At 3:55 p.m., two lanes of Route 61, one in each direction, were opened to traffic.
Swopes said the incident will be investigated to determine what went wrong.
"There's a lot of factors that need to be taken into account. A very thorough investigation will be done to rectify things that need to be addressed," he said.
In past incidents, the gas company has compensated emergency personnel for their time, but it will depend on the outcome of the investigation, he said.
"It's too early to speculate," Swope said.