Traffic headed in and out of downtown Annapolis was gridlocked for about two hours Thursday while utility crews contained a gas leak, the second major leak in the city in a week.
Police, fire and utility crews responded to a call about a gas leak around 11 a.m. at the large Park Place development going up at the intersection of West Street and Taylor Avenue, according to Annapolis Police Officer Kevin Freeman.
Freeman said construction crews working toward the rear of the construction site accidentally hit a natural gas line. The immediate area was evacuated, but nearby homes and businesses were not in any danger. Contractors are required by state law to mark all underground utilities prior to digging.
Traffic flow had returned to normal by early Thursday afternoon, Freeman said.
Earlier this week, a construction crew digging at a site on Hilltop Lane struck a gas line, shutting down a portion of a popular commuter route during rush hour.
Judy Ridgway, spokeswoman for the city public works department, said the city does not typically have any enforcement power over utility marking.
“When they?re going to dig in the street, then they have to apply for a street opening permit, and then we go out and inspect it and make sure they?re doing it right,” Ridgway said.
JeffDavis, spokesman for Park Place, said construction crews were working on the site where Admiral Cleaners will move to make room for Park Place when the accident happened. It was unclear from Miss Utility records available online whether the utilities in that part of the construction site had been marked. The development includes a new, 225-room Westin Hotel and more than 200 condominiums selling from the mid-$500,000s. The project has been criticized for its size and location on a small, but highly-trafficked road into the city?s historic district.
stracy@baltimoreexaminer.com
