Water work causes gas leak
<p>Avista Utilities crews work to contain a gas leak near the UPS delivery center on Ramsey Road Friday after City of Coeur d’Alene crews broke the line during an excavation project. Traffic was diverted as natural gas was released from the breach for more than an hour.</p>
COEUR d'ALENE - Workers for the city water department ruptured a natural gas line Friday morning, causing a closure of Ramsey Road for a little more than an hour.
Patrick Jones, a Coeur d'Alene resident who witnessed the accident, said he was driving by the UPS building and saw a city crew working on the sidewalk. He passed by a couple of minutes later and said the smell of natural gas was everywhere.
"I was going to the drive-through at Jack in the Box and the smell of gas was strong," he said. "It was so bad you could hear the leak hissing."
Keith Erickson, a spokesman for the city of Coeur d'Alene, said the city's water department was working on water infrastructure in front of the UPS business on Golf Course Road when the crew ruptured a natural gas line.
Debbie Simock, a spokesperson for Avista Utilities, said her company was notified of the accident at 11:42 a.m., and crews had the line secured by 12:50 p.m.
"From what we know, the city was working on the water line and struck the natural gas line," she said. "But the leak has now been secured."
Simock said only one customer lost gas service, but crews were working to restore it.
Roads reopened at 1 p.m.