Construction Workers Cause Gas Leak in Princeton Borough

Construction workers digging near the corner of William and Charlton streets struck a gas line this afternoon, cutting the line and causing a gas leak, police said.

Just after 1:10 p.m., a Borough police officer in the Charlton area detected the odor of natural gas, spoke with a construction crew there that had been doing ongoing work on sewer lines and they determined that the gas service line had been struck.

The Princeton Fire Department and PSE&G responded to the scene.  Fire officials ordered an evacuation of buildings within a half a block vicinity of the leak and the roads were closed to vehicles and pedestrians.  The Princeton University Department of Public Safety assisted with evacuations of Princeton University owned buildings in the area, including the Friend Center, the computer science building, the Lewis Center for the Arts at 185 Nassau Street, and 41 William Street. The Princeton Borough Police Department evacuated all other buildings and homes within the evacuation zone.

PSE&G stopped the leak just after 2 p.m. and everyone was allowed to return to their buildings and homes. No injuries were reported.