ALTAMONTE SPRINGS, Fla. -- Florida Department of Transportation says it is investigating the placement of deeply buried gas pipelines, which construction crews hit Monday, causing traffic to be blocked for several hours.
- Construction crews hit 6-inch gas pipeline
- FDOT says too early to assess if fines will be issued
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- READ: 2016 Safety Report from Florida Public Service Commission
FDOT Spokesman Steve Olson said SGL construction crews were using a pile driver Monday on Interstate 4, near the Altamonte Springs exit, when crews hit a six-inch gas pipeline, buried approximately 25 feet below the surface.
The line break forced traffic to be shut down for several hours.
FDOT says SGL was aware of the pipeline’s placement.
“A gas line was known to be in that area, and there were plans to that effect,” Olson said in a statement.
“The contractor was required to take certain precautions. Currently a review by the Florida Department of Transportation, the contractor, and TECO gas is underway regarding the location of the gas line and the precautions taken.”
SGL will be required to create an action plan to prevent similar incidents in the future.
A permanent fix to the line is still required, in which Olson said they are hopeful repair work will have a minimal impact on traffic.
According to the Florida Public Service Commission, there were eight major gas breaks in 2016.
Construction workers are most often to blame and can be fined anywhere from $500 to $5,000, plus costs of repairs and property damage.
FDOT says it is too early to say whether any fines will be assessed in this case.