Repairs complete after Portage, Indiana gas leak causes I-94 traffic mess

PORTAGE, Ind. (WLS) -- Repair crews completed their work Wednesday morning after a gas leak caused major problems.

It left to evacuations and an hours-long shutdown on I-94 in Porter County, Indiana Tuesday.

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NIPSCO crews were still making repairs late into the night, but the gas line, which the company says was ruptured by a third party, has been capped off. NIPSCO said their repair work was completed by 5 a.m. Wednesday.

The natural gas, mixed with gravel and dirt, spewed from the ground. It snarled traffic for hours, causing headaches and disruption.

Officials said Tuesday afternoon, a contractor unaffiliated with NIPSCO ruptured a gas line near the Ameriplex industrial park along I-94 in Portage.

The rupture prompted the long shut down of the interstate in both directions between state roads 249 and 49.

"It's a combustible gas, and obviously, if somebody is driving down the highway, and there's a spark or whatnot, I think that was the concern with it igniting, because it was so close," said Portage Police Department Chief Mike Canadiano.

Around 40 employees of Tosca, a packaging company near the scene of the leak, had to be evacuated.

"We got evacuated about 12:30 p.m. They decided they gonna send everybody home, because there was gas that was starting to go into the building, and you could smell it," said evacuated worker J.H. Sizemore.

About six hours into the shut down, NIPSCO managed to cap the leak and finally allowed traffic in all lanes of I-94 to reopen.

But for many drivers the damage was already done and their day was ruined.

Portage officials said they've been told by NIPSCO that air quality was being monitored in the area and there's no danger to nearby residents.