Gas Leak Shuts Down Traffic At Gwinnett Medical Center

LAWRENCEVILLE, GA — Gwinnett County firefighters on Tuesday responded to a gas leak in Lawrenceville that snarled traffic and caused "shelter in place" warnings near Gwinnett Medical Center.

At 8:42 a.m., Gwinnett County Fire & Emergency Services received a call of a natural gas leak on Duluth Highway near Hwy. 316 in Lawrenceville.

The leak was directly across from a QuikTrip convenience store and the Gwinnett Medical Center.

All lanes of Duluth Highway were temporarily closed between Phillip Boulevard and Hwy. 316. The hospital's main entrance also was blocked because of the leak.

An emergency crew from Lawrenceville Gas responded to fix the leak, which was caused by a construction crew digging in the area, fire officials said.

The gas company had to dig in three separate spots to clamp the line and close a valve to stop the gas from leaking.

Although the main entrance of the hospital was blocked, fire officials said hospital operations and patient service were not interrupted.

Some workers at nearby businesses were told to "shelter in place" during the leak, but authorities were monitoring gas levels throughout the incident and no one was forced to evacuate.

Lawrenceville Gas was able to stop the leak at 10:30 a.m. and the roads were opened shortly afterward.