King Road in Sylvania closes after gas line is hit

3/25/2008

King Road, near Sylvania Avenue in Sylvania, was closed to traffic and a nearby Kroger Co. store was evacuated yesterday after a construction crew hit a natural gas line, causing a leak, authorities said.

The incident left 17 businesses, including the Kroger store, without service, Columbia Gas spokesman Chris Kozak said. Service was restored by 4 p.m., he said.

A three-inch, plastic, medium-pressure line was struck about 11:30 a.m., causing the leak, Mr. Kozak said.

About 10 minutes later, the area was secured and the store was evacuated, according to police.

By 11:50 a.m., utility crews shut down the line and began to repair it, Mr. Kozak said.

Kroger customers were allowed back in the store by about 12:30 p.m., by which time traffic on King returned to normal, police said.