First Avenue, Collins Road intersection reopens after gas line struck

UPDATE: Two businesses near the intersection of Collins Road and First Avenue East were briefly evacuated around noon today after construction crews struck a 4-inch natural gas line near the intersection.

It's the second time in the last month a gas line has been struck near the intersection, which is being extensively renovated. The intersection was closed for about an hour after the mishap, reopening just after 1 p.m.

About 20 people from Fiesta del Sol and Tires Plus were evacuated because of high levels of natural gas, Cedar Rapids Fire Department spokesman Greg Buelow said, and because there was little wind to disperse the gas. Fire crews were also monitoring air quality at the nearby Granite City restaurant, but gas levels there weren't high enough to require evacuation, Buelow said.

The gas line was struck around noon by crews from Peterson Contractors Inc., based in Reinbeck. The same crew was working at the same intersection when a gas line was struck the morning of April 30.

Buelow couldn't confirm details of that incident, and said he's uncertain why two similar incidents would occur within a month of each other.

“This isn't common,” he said of the gas line incident, “but it happens more often than anyone likes.”

Crews from MidAmerican and Peterson Contractors “pinched off” the gas line about 50 feet from where it was struck, just in front of Tires Plus on Highway 100, in order to make repairs. “They can't repair the line when gas is flowing,” Buelow said.

It's not clear if Fiesta del Sol and Tires Plus currently have natural gas service.

• PREVIOUS COVERAGE: April 30 -- Wind helps dissipate Cedar Rapids gas leak