St. Charles Gas Line Break on Route 64 Sealed

2:00 p.m. Update:

A gas line break along East Main Street/Route 64 brought out St. Charles firefighters and police, crews from Nicor and disrupted traffic through the construction zone Friday morning, but things were back to normal by early afternoon.

The initial call to the St. Charles Fire Department went out at 9:12 a.m., and interim Fire Chief Joe Schelstreet said in an email that Nicor crews already were on the scene, working on a break to a 1-inch serving A contractor had struck the line causing the break.

Schelstreet wrote that Nicor representatives asked St. Charles authorities to divert traffic while they shut down the flow of gas and made repairs. “We provided traffic control with a combination of police officers and (Emergency Management Agency) people,” he wrote. “The break was repaired and all of our units had cleared by 12:37.”

Initial, unofficial reports said the incident involved a 4-inch gas main break and that hazardous materials crews were called out.

Friday’s disruption of traffic was not the first caused by a gas main break during the East Main Street/Route 64 Reconstruction project, which is in its third and final year. In August 2012, there were two in one day — one near Pheasant Run Resort, and a second, larger break at Poweis Road — which closed the highway for about 90 minutes, but reopened to restricted access for hours afterward.

Related:

• Aug. 14, 2012: Gas Main Break Closes Route 64 By Pheasant Run Tuesday

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Original post at 10:28 a.m.:

A gas main break was reported around 9:28 a.m. Friday on Route 64 north of Kautz Road in St. Charles.

The incident originally was reported as a 4-inch gas main break that involves Hazmat teams. One lane of eastbound Route 64 was shut down.

As of 10:35 a.m. a fire engine and work crews were still on the scene. Traffic on eastbound Route 64 still was backed up for at least a half mile but moving slowly.

Patch will follow up when more information is available from official sources.