Chapel Hill’s MLK Boulevard Reopened Following a Gas Line Repair

One of Chapel Hill’s most well-traveled roads experienced a surprise closure on Wednesday due to a gas leak.

The Chapel Hill Police Department reported Martin Luther King Jr. Boulevard is back open to traffic between Longview Street and Hillsborough Street shortly after 2 p.m. The department first closed the stretch of the major road just before noon as emergency services responded to the scene.

Dominion Energy crews were also on the scene shortly after 12 p.m. to investigate the leak, which a Dominion spokesperson confirmed to Chapelboro was located underneath Bolin Heights Road. The leak began after construction in the area struck a gas line. An update from Dominion around 1:30 p.m. confirmed the leak had been stopped.

Excavation of the road, which is off Martin Luther King Jr. Boulevard, was needed in order to repair the gas line, with the work expected to last into the late afternoon. Some impact to Dominion Energy customers are expected, according to the gas company.

No evacuations were for people in the surrounding area, Chapel Hill Police Department told Chapelboro. Some nearby buildings to the area closed down by emergency services are the Mill Creek Condominiums complex, UNC’s Sheps Center for Health Services Research, UNC’s Office of Human Research Ethics and the shopping center that includes The Root Cellar, Flyleaf Books and Lucha Tigre.

Photo via the Chapel Hill Police Department.

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