The west side of Gasoline Alley was closed to traffic and some businesses were shut down Thursday afternoon after a construction worker with a backhoe damaged a natural gas line near Petro Canada.
At about 4:15 p.m. emergency services and police were called to the scene and blocked access to the area from Hwy 2 and Hwy 2A.
Businesses in a strip mall, including Ashley Furniture and The HideOut, were evacuated and traffic was diverted out of the area.
ATCO arrived at about 4:30 p.m. and had to wait for emergency equipment to locate the gas line. The gas was shut off at 5:45 p.m. and roads to the area reopened shortly after 6 p.m.
ATCO said the situation was under control and there was no danger to people in the area. Only Petro Canada was affected by the gas line rupture.
szielinski@www.reddeeradvocate.com