Through the stillness of the night, trained crews from Enbridge labored purposefully to repair a gas pipeline that had been inadvertently damaged during downtown Sudbury construction operations. As dawn broke, the teams shifted their attention to the restoration of service for the gas customers affected by the incident on Tuesday.
The mishap occurred on Monday just after midday, when an excavator engaged in a road construction project at the intersection of Durham and Larch streets, collided with a six-inch natural gas line, causing a substantial gas leak. Subsequently, Greater Sudbury police declared three intersections linked to Larch and Durham streets off-limits.
The resulting crisis led to the enforced closure of several streets adjacent to Larch and Durham, along with the implementation of a few non-mandatory evacuations. While the roads affected by the gas leak have since been reopened, the ongoing construction zone on Larch Street remains sealed off.
Andrea Stass, a spokesperson for Enbridge, explained the next steps, saying, “With the pipeline now repaired, our service representatives are gearing up to commence the process of restoring service to about 130 customers who experienced a temporary interruption of their gas supply this morning.”
In their quest to restore service, Enbridge Gas representatives are set to go door-to-door to safely reignite customer’s natural gas appliances and equipment. In order to do so, access to the natural gas equipment within the impacted homes and businesses is required, and all representatives will carry their proper identification. Customers have been instructed not to try to reignite their own gas appliances.
Should the representatives face any hindrance in accessing a home or building, they will leave a contact number behind for customers to arrange a future appointment for gas service restoration. Stass confirmed, “We expect that by later today, we will have restored gas service to all homes and businesses where we can gain access.”
