First Avenue East reopens after gas line break

Crews severed a gas line along First Avenue East, forcing lanes to be closed on the busiest street in Cedar Rapids for nearly four hours Wednesday.

A backhoe with Tim Terrell, Inc. of Swisher was digging in the 4300 block of First Avenue East, across from Cedar Memorial, when a 4-inch gas line was struck around 11 a.m., officials said.

Police quickly shut down First Avenue East between 40th Street and Glenbrook Drive SE, while firefighters investigated the leak. Westbound lanes were opened soon, but eastbound lanes remained closed until around 3 p.m.

Fire Department spokesman Greg Buelow said the contractors were working for Alliant Energy to bury utilities as part of a street widening project.

No one was evacuated or injured, he said.

Cars stacked up to the west, back by the Town and Country Shopping Center, as lunch-hour traffic maneuvered around the closure. Detoured traffic was bottlenecking at C Avenue and 40th Street NE, and farther north by Old Marion Road NE, police said.