Gas leak closed major Lexington road, creating traffic issues for commuters, cops say

A gas leak shut down a major stretch of a Lexington County road during the evening commute on Thursday, according to the police department.

The leak in the 100 block of US-378 closed all lanes of traffic, inbound and outbound, for close to two hours according to the Lexington Police Department.

The normally busy road for drivers on the evening commute experienced “heavy traffic congestion,” the police department reported, adding detours were in place to get drivers around the area.

It is believed that the leak was caused by contractor working in area, and fire fighting crews and a HAZMAT team worked to secure the leak, according to the Lexington County Twitter feed.

No injuries have been reported, but Lexington County tweeted that businesses in the area had been evacuated.

The police department reported that children attending classes at The Academy of Lexington Youth Ballet and Genova Family Karate of Lexington were “sheltering in place until the scene is secure.”

Parents of children at the karate and dance studios were told to go to “Clayton Homes located 193 US-378 near Burton Smith Road,” to unite with their kids, according to the police department.

This is a developing story, check back for updates.

This story was originally published September 6, 2018 at 6:33 PM.