As a precaution, Main Street was closed for several hours and TRAX traffic was delayed because of a gas leak near the Grand America Hotel on Friday.
The hotel itself was not evacuated; southbound Main re-opened about 11:45 a.m., northbound Main was re-opened not long after. TRAX returned to its regular schedule about 12:20 p.m.
According to a Dominion Energy spokesman, a crew marking underground gas lines was in the area when they detected gas. A Dominion crew arrived and discovered a small area in the parking strip on the southwest corner of the hotel at 555 S. Main Street where sensors indicated 100 percent gas.
Natural gas ignites only when it is a 5-15 percent.
Crews worked to “pinch off” the plastic line both north and south of the area before repairing the leak, said Dominion’s Don Porter. A small leak, perhaps smaller than a paper-hole punch, was found and repaired on a four-inch plastic line.
UTA stopped running TRAX trains through the area, setting up bus bridges and tweeting out adjusted routes.
