Originally published on CBS12 NEWS
PALM BEACH COUNTY, Fla. (CBS12) — Firefighters say a gas line break forced crews to shut down the Florida Turnpike and Lake Worth Road in all directions.
The southbound lanes of the Turnpike reopened shortly after 5 p.m., the Florida Highway Patrol said. The northbound lanes didn’t reopen until almost 7:30 p.m.
And as a result of the leak, the overpass on the northbound side of the overpass sustained some damage. The Florida Highway Patrol said engineers are now inspecting it to see the extent of the damage. Part of the overpass collapsed.
Gas line rupture shuts down Florida Turnpike. (CNN Newsource)
According to FHP, the gas line is with the Florida Gas Transmission Company.
The situation began just before 10 a.m. Emergency crews quickly determined a natural gas line ruptured and shut down traffic in the area. Lake Worth Road was blocked between Jog Road and US 441 at one point.
Some drivers reported feeling the ground shake and a loud boom. Some drivers drove through the gas cloud.
Pictures from FDOT show a cloud in the air around the Turnpike.
Video shared with CBS12 News by a user on Twitter shows what appears to be gas spewing from a broken main in an area parallel to the Turnpike.Volume 90% .
The Florida Highway Patrol said authorities evacuated an area within a mile radius of the gas leak as a precaution, including Discovery Key Elementary.
Palm Beach County Fire Rescue had a shelter in place for people within a half-mile of the gas leak. It was lifted shortly afternoon.
Multiple agencies responded to the scene, including FDOT and the Palm Beach County Sheriff’s Office.
There are no reports of any injuries.
The cause of the pipeline rupture is under investigation.
The Florida Gas Transmission Company sent this statement to CBS12 News:
We experienced a release this morning from our 18 inch natural gas line that runs along the Florida Turnpike. This section of the pipeline was immediately shut in to isolate the incident area and safely stop the flow of gas. The gas being released from the isolated section was completely blown down in approximately 30 minutes. There were no injuries, however, a small number people were evacuated from the commercial buildings on each side of the turnpike as a precautionary measure. They were allowed to return a short time later. There will be no interruptions to customer deliveries as the flow of natural gas was diverted to another pipeline in the system. The cause of the release is not known at this time, however there will be a thorough investigation into the matter.
