ANDOVER – A large portion of Route 28 was shut down Tuesday morning after a main gas line was severed during road construction.
Andover police and fire responded to the intersection of Stevens and North Main streets just before 9 a.m. to close the roads, clear the area and evacuate nearby buildings, said Fire Chief Kyle Murphy.
While performing work on the water lines on Stevens Street in front of Andover Periodontics, workers hit the high-pressure natural gas line, Murphy said. The incident was called in by a firefighter working a detail at the scene.
Cedrone Corporation of North Billerica had excavator equipment on scene near the area of impact.
From the top of Harding Street, the scent of gas was strong and a large water spout could be seen as firefighters attempted to neutralize the gas with water. The gas leak lasted about 30 minutes until Eversource workers accessed the main line in the middle of Route 28 and shut it off, Murphy said.
In the meantime, Andover Periodontics, Powder Hill Square and local residences were evacuated and Harding Street and a portion of Route 28 between Haverhill Street and Elm Square was closed until 10:15 a.m. Stevens Street remained closed as of 11 a.m., according to scanner activity.
Though closed to vehicular traffic, pedestrians still had access to that portion of Route 28. Murphy could not say how many residences and commercial buildings were left without gas or when the gas line would be restored. No injuries were reported.
This story will be updated as more information becomes available.