Utility-related accidents close roads

Traffic was diverted around Highway 395 and Waterloo Lane for about an hour on Wednesday after a half-inch gas line was punctured by a backhoe on a construction site.

Firefighters described the 10:45 a.m. incident about a half mile from Gardnerville Elementary School as a "major, major, major gas leak."

Traffic was diverted on to Toler Lane through Gardnerville to Waterloo Lane where motorists were allowed to turn south.

It took a Southwest Gas Co. crew 25 minutes to arrive at the scene of the incident.

A second incident occurred on Thursday morning off Sawmill Road, where a backhoe was being used to install new utilities.

Fire Marshal Steve Eisele said no structures were threatened by Thursday's leak and that a crew took 10-15 minutes to secure the leak on a 2-inch line after arriving at the scene.

"It was the same way as it was today," he said. "The crew was heading out of the yard in Carson when they got the call."

This is the second week where an accident has disrupted traffic and utilities in Gardnerville.

On Aug. 15, a car hit a power pole along Waterloo Lane, closing the road for nearly 10 hours.

Sierra Pacific Power Co. spokesman Karl Walquist said the vehicle broke one pole at about 3:45 p.m., which pulled down a second pole.

"It took a while to get the customers back in service because we needed to get two poles and install them," he said. "It took until 2:15 a.m. to make the repairs."

Walquist said 14 power company customers were without power during the incident.