Crews stop gas leak in South Austin

AUSTIN (KXAN) - Crews have stopped a gas leak early Tuesday morning that led to closed roads and outages in South Austin.

An Austin Water Utility crew working on a fire hydrant at the corner of Manchaca Road and Stassney Lane  hit the 6-inch gas main at about 3:30 a.m. Tuesday, shutting down the intersection. That reopened at 7:54 a.m.

Crews managed to cap the leak at 7:04 a.m., nearly four hours after the rupture.

Austin Water spokesman Jason Hill said that size of the line was "pretty major." He said he didn't know the specifics of how things went wrong but that crews just didn't realize they were that close to the gas line when they were working.

The distance from the gas line break to where it was clamped it about 100 feet. That section of the line services a few businesses along Manchaca Road, and their service could be affected. Texas Gas crews are checking into that now.

While the work on the line could lead to gas outages for homes and businesses nearby, the only immediate danger is inside a 50-foot radius around the break. Otherwise, no one was ever in danger or was evacuated.