SCHUYLKILL COUNTY, Pa. — Part of Route 61 in Schuylkill County is closed due to a gas leak.
The road is closed between Walmart in Saint Clair and Mall Road in Frackville, according to the Schuylkill County Office of Emergency Management.
Schuylkill County EMA officials say construction crews hit a UGI gas line around 7:40 a.m. Tuesday in New Castle Township, outside of Saint Clair, on Route 61.
"Right now, the biggest impact is the traffic. (Route) 61 is a main artery in Schuylkill County," said John Blickley, Schuylkill County emergency management director.
The detours were already impacting drivers as it took Michael Ulrich nearly double the travel time to get from Shenandoah to the shopping plaza near Saint Clair.
"We can't go the usual route. We can't go the route we normally come. So, we had to go through Minersville to get around."
Schuylkill County emergency management says the gas line runs across the county, but there is no threat of explosion from the high-pressure line.
Crews were there working on the Route 61 expansion project, which started in February and is expected to continue over the next several years.
"I think most of us have been expecting this project for 25 years or so, so once the funding came through, it's going to be a great feature for Schuylkill County," Blickley said.
That stretch of Route 61 in Schuylkill County will likely remain closed through Wednesday morning, according to PennDOT.
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