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Gas Leak Outside Hayward Taco Bell Briefly Shuts Streets Near I-580

HAYWARD (CBS SF) - A major thoroughfare in Hayward near an Interstate Highway 580 on-ramp reopened after repairs to a ruptured gas line closed the road for almost two hours, a fire captain said.

The Hayward Fire Department received a call about 10:30 a.m.  that a utility crew working near the curb just south of Foothill Boulevard and Grove Way had ruptured a 2-inch plastic pipe, Capt. Thor Poulsen said.

A nearby Taco Bell was evacuated because of the hazard posed by the gas leak, and Foothill Boulevard between City Center Drive and Grove Way was closed.

Two engines, a fire truck, and a battalion chief stood by and had laid fire lines in case the gas ignited, Poulsen said, which would have caused "a major, major problem."

PG&E arrived at 11:15 a.m. to begin repairs by pinching the line, which serves businesses on the northern side of Foothill Boulevard, Poulsen said.

Repairs were completed early Thursday afternoon, and the roadway reopened at 12:30 p.m., Poulsen said.

That stretch of Foothill Boulevard is about one block from entrances leading to I-580 or Interstate Highway 238, and drivers were asked to take alternate routes during the repairs.

(Copyright 2011 by CBS San Francisco. All Rights Reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.)

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