Gas Leak Outside Hayward Taco Bell Briefly Shuts Streets Near I-580
HAYWARD (CBS SF) - A major thoroughfare in Hayward near an Interstate Highway 580 on-ramp reopened after repairs to a ruptured gas line closed the road for almost two hours, a fire captain said.
The Hayward Fire Department received a call about 10:30 a.m. that a utility crew working near the curb just south of Foothill Boulevard and Grove Way had ruptured a 2-inch plastic pipe, Capt. Thor Poulsen said.
A nearby Taco Bell was evacuated because of the hazard posed by the gas leak, and Foothill Boulevard between City Center Drive and Grove Way was closed.
Two engines, a fire truck, and a battalion chief stood by and had laid fire lines in case the gas ignited, Poulsen said, which would have caused "a major, major problem."
PG&E arrived at 11:15 a.m. to begin repairs by pinching the line, which serves businesses on the northern side of Foothill Boulevard, Poulsen said.
Repairs were completed early Thursday afternoon, and the roadway reopened at 12:30 p.m., Poulsen said.
That stretch of Foothill Boulevard is about one block from entrances leading to I-580 or Interstate Highway 238, and drivers were asked to take alternate routes during the repairs.
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