Kevin Earl Dayhoff - Westminster Fire Department 24July2023
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Update 11:30 p.m. - 12 hours into the incident. No decision has been made as to when the eastbound lanes of Rte 140 can be reopened. Work continues on the repairs to the 6-inch gas line that was damaged by a highway guardrail contractor at Rte 140 and Littlestown Pike at the west end of Westminster.
Earlier in the day about 50 BGE employees and 20 pieces of BGE emergency response pieces of equipment, in addition to a large response by the Maryland Department of Transportation.
Hours and hours of work must be completed on the damaged pipe before enough information is available in order to make a decision as to when the roadway eastbound can be reopened.
Weighing heavily in the decision process are the recent number of workers killed and injured while working on roadways. Sadly today, there were a number of incidents reported of drivers traveling at high rates of speed near first responders at the staging areas.
Please continue to avoid the area. Please drive safely. We want everyone to come home to their families when the emergency operations have been completed.
Update 7:45 p.m. 24Jy2023 Westbound traffic on Rte 140 has just been reopened. However eastbound traffic on Rte 140 will be closed for many more hours. Progress continues on repairing the gas line struck by a highway guardrail contractor at Rte 140 and Littlestown Pike at the west end of Westminster. Please continue to avoid the area. Please drive safely.
Update 5:15 p.m. 24Jy2023 Progress continues on repairing the gas line struck by a highway guardrail contractor at Rte 140 and Littlestown Pike at the west end of Westminster. Please continue to avoid the area. Traffic will continue to be disrupted for an undetermined length of time. Please drive safely.
Updated at 1600 hours 4 p.m. Four hours into the incident. Repair work by BGE continues on the gas line struck by a highway guardrail contractor at Rte 140 and Littlestown Pike. Please continue to avoid the area. Traffic will continue to be disrupted for an undetermined length of time.
Gas line struck - Rte 140 and Littlestown Pike Monday, July 24, 2023 2:15 p.m. - Late Monday morning, the Carroll County Emergency Communications Center was first alerted at 11:26 a.m. for a reported gas line struck on College View Blvd, at the intersection of Rte 140 and Littlestown Pike, according to Westminster Fire Department spokesperson Kevin Dayhoff.
The Westminster Fire Department responded. WFD Capt. Corey Milewski assumed command. Upon arrival preliminary information indicates that a contracting crew was on scene installing guard rails when a gas line was struck.
Westminster City Police and Public Works, Maryland State Police, MD State Highway Administration, as well as units from the Reese Fire Company, Frederick and Howard Counties, and allied mutual aid agencies also responded to the incident, in addition to the Westminster Fire Department and BGE.
Eastbound and westbound traffic on Rte 140 was immediately halted. Repair crews form BGE arrived on scene at 12:55 p.m. as a precaution, the electric was shut off for six adjacent houses in the neighborhood close to the gas line break.
Traffic on Rte 140 will be disrupted for an indefinite period of time. Motorists and citizens should avoid the area.
There are no reported injuries at this time.
[Sta 3 Fire]11:26CT: GAS LINE STRUCK COLLEGE VIEW BLVD / LITTLESTOWN PKE BOX:0331 DUE:E32,E91,U9,U9-1,B35,DTY3 23013262 12:18
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