A ruptured gas line on the outskirts of Kent shut down 277th Street for several hours Wednesday.
As of press time this morning, repairs to the line were to be completed by Thursday afternoon.
The line, one of the utility’s high-pressure distribution pipes, is near Smith Brothers’ Dairy. The rupture was about 150 yards from 277th’s intersection with the West Valley Highway. The dairy is adjacent to the intersection.
The line, which is owned by Puget Sound Energy, was ruptured about 9:20 a.m. Wednesday, after a subcontractor for PSE accidentally hit the pipe while doing street work on 277th. The pipe is under the roadway, and a worker at the scene said the noticeable dip in the road had been due to the high-pressure rupture.
PSE spokesperson Dorothy Bracken said the damage was to one of PSE’s 6-inch-wide distribution lines. The rupture occurred when the subcontractor accidentally pulled away another, smaller stub pipe from the larger pipe, breaking a weld, which caused the larger pipe to rupture.
The roadwork, ironically, was part of a PSE expansion project to install an additional gas line in the area.
Kent Fire Capt. Kyle Ohashi said there were no injuries in the accident, and that PSE officials couldn’t turn off the line right away, as they had to determine the two best shut-off valves to safely close down the damage section of line.
The utility turned off the gas shortly before noon. But before the shut-down, a visible plume of dust could be seen rising from the roadway where the damaged pipe was, kicked up by the escaping, high-pressure gas.
Bracken also noted there should be no adverse environmental effects from the escaping gas, as it’s lighter than air and dissipates quickly.
“It’s mostly methane,” she added.
Only one gas customer was affected by the rupture.
Once the gas was shut off, PSE waited for the residual pressure to bleed off, then began repairs.
Bracken reported Thursday morning that repair work was continuing, with crews installing a new section of pipe to the line, which she described as a high-pressure gas main.
That high pressure capacity brings with it extra testing requirements, to ensure it operates correctly.
“That is why this is taking a bit extra long – it requires extra testing to ensure that the pressure is regulated,” Bracken said.
PSE had already closed down one lane of traffic flow on the road, for the original expansion project, so that’s the way the route is continuing to operate, Bracken said.
Of the busier West Valley Highway, “there’s no effect” on traffic there, she said.
Bracken also responded to a question about an explosion that one Kent Reporter reader had posted on a Twitter account.
There was no explosion she was aware of, she said.
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