UPDATE: Route 347 Reopens After Contractor Cuts Gas Line

Suffolk County police and fire departments temporarily closed Route 347 in Hauppauge on Friday morning after contractors initially reportedly hit a gas main.

Wendy Ladd, a spokeswoman for National Grid, said contractors working on the accidentally hit a commercial service line, not a gas main, at approximately 7:45 a.m. Workers on site had controlled the leak by 7:57 a.m.

Police shutdown Route 347 from Wheeler Road to Brooksite Drive in both directions from approximately 7:45 a.m. to 8:30 a.m. This created heavy traffic during the morning rush hour on local roadways including Route 347/Smithtown Bypass, Route 111/Wheeler Road, and Townline Road.

Commercial businesses at 496 Smithtown Bypass in Smithtown are temporarily without gas as repairs are underway, Ladd said. 

At the end of June, , closing the highway for more than an hour and causing traffic to back up along the major northern Suffolk County's artery.

Eileen Peters, spokeswoman for New York State Department of Transportation, said both instances, said in a statement the gas services lines were not properly marked out by a previous private contractor/developer/builder as required under Code 753, or the "One Call System."

However, Ladd said National Grid's contractors have made all the necessary mark outs well in advance of the project.