West Columbia traffic & businesses disrupted after work crew cuts gas line

West Columbia, SC (Paul Kirby) – A work crew digging near the Chik-Fil-A on Augusta Road at Dreher Road cut a natural gas line Tuesday afternoon creating a leak that took work crews several hours to repair. Some of the businesses in the area were also affected by the leak.

Soon after the break in the line was reported, the West Columbia Fire Department responded. When they realized that gas was escaping and causing a hazard, they requested the assistance of West Columbia police officers. Together, the crews shut down much of Augusta and Dreher Roads and routed traffic through the parking lot of the Bi-Lo closer to I-26 and away from the leak. Firefighters had a safety line in place in the event they needed to use water spray to dissipate the gas. That line stayed in place and was manned until a crew from Dominion Energy could repair the break.

The line was repaired, and the road was opened again just after 4:00 p.m. All businesses were allowed to return to their normal schedules.