Gas Leak Prompts Road Closures In San Rafael

SAN RAFAEL, CA – A natural gas leak prompted road closures and backed up traffic Friday afternoon in San Rafael, police said.

The San Rafael Police Department warned the public around 1:30 p.m. about the gas leak on North San Pedro Road in the area of Merrydale and Sequoia roads. Although no evacuation order was issued, police advised residents to shelter in place and be prepared to evacuate if necessary.

San Rafael Fire Department, San Rafael Police Department and Pacific Gas & Electric crews responded to the scene.

The non-residential gas leak caused officials to initially restrict traffic from entering the area of North San Pedro and Merrydale roads, according to police. Only residents were allowed to leave the area.

By Friday evening, roads remained closed. Fire officials reported around 5:15 p.m. on Twitter that one lane would be open within an hour and one lane would be closed until midnight. All roads were opened by 1:10 a.m., according to police.

The 1:01 p.m. southbound SMART train from downtown Santa Rosa was delayed due to the gas leak in San Rafael, according to Sonoma-Marin Area Rail Transit officials. Passengers were taken by shuttle between those stations.

The San Rafael station reopened at 7 p.m. Friday, according to SMART officials, service resumed as scheduled.

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Photo via San Rafael Fire Department