UPDATE: Traffic was been restored through the construction on Columbia at about 3:30 p.m..
Road crews working on Columbia Avenue in Castlegar struck a natural gas line at about 2 p.m. Tuesday, closing the main thoroughfare through the city.
Emergency crews from FortisBC and the city’s fire department are on hand.
The break occurred just outside the Toyota dealership on Columbia. Workers at businesses in the area were told to stay indoors until the gas leak could be controlled.
There’s no word on what caused the gas rupture.
Police closed off Columbia Avenue to traffic for about an hour, forcing vehicles to divert around the city.
It’s not the first time workers on the $7-million rebuilding of Columbia Avenue have struck the Fortis gas line. A similar accident in late May closed off the city’s main route through town for several hours.
