News 12 at 6 o'clock / Wednesday, September 8, 2010

AUGUSTA---A construction accident made a big mess this afternoon near Walton Way and Jackson Road, and a ruptured gas line will lead to more headaches for drivers.

It all started around lunchtime, when construction crews along the 3500 block of Walton Way Extension hit a gas line while trying to install Comcast cable lines.

The breach sent a plume of gas into the air. Emergency crews evacuated around 300 people from businesses in the area. No one was hurt. However, officials say repairs will take awhile, and part of Walton Way Extension will be closed for up to two weeks in the meantime according to traffic engineers.

The line was hit around noon. Walton Way Extension was closed at Jackson Road and Skinner Mill, and Wheeler Road was closed at Aumond Road and Agerton Lane while the vapor dispersed. People close to the leak site were asked to stay inside and not start their cars.

"We could see, it looked like this huge dust storm from a distance," Mark Herrmann told News 12. "And we got close to the light, it looked like this, you know, this car was on fire almost. And smoke was just billowing out."

Lt. Neal Brown with the Richmond County Fire Department tells News 12 the thick vapor was due to the fact that the natural gas line was commercial. He said a residential line would not have created so much obvious vapor.

The fire department thinks the heavy concentration of gas even caused one car's engine to shut down. That car was left in the road with its blinkers on, compounding the traffic hazard caused by the thick vapor.

The leak was contained by around 2 o'clock, and crews continued working to completely seal it.

Traffic engineer Steve Cassell tells News 12 Walton Way Extension will be closed between Wheeler Road and Jackson Road for one to two weeks while repairs are made. He says people who work in the area will still be able to get to their jobs.

Officials maintain there was no real risk of a fire or explosion. Deputies said there were children inside First Baptist Church at the time of the leak, but that they were not in substantial danger.

The area of Walton Way Extension to be closed for repairs