January 18, 2010

Occupational health and safety

Gas line rupture halts traffic and construction in Victoria

SHANNON MONEO

correspondent

A subcontractor replacing watermains in Victoria struck a gas line, causing a significant leak that wreaked havoc with local traffic. The incident shut down the capital city’s second busiest bridge on Jan. 11.

On the first night of work to replace watermains in the vicinity of the Point Ellice Bridge, also known as the Bay Street bridge, workers from G&E Equipment Rentals accidentally hit a six-inch, high-pressure Terasen Gas pipeline.

It occurred at one end of the bridge at about 10:30 p.m., said City of Victoria spokesperson Katie Josephson.

Several roads in the area were closed and the construction site evacuated.

Marine and air traffic also ground to a halt.

About 12 hours later, Terasen crews capped the leak from the damaged pipeline.

Surrounding roads were soon opened, but the bridge remained closed while they repaired the line.

There weren’t any injures, but the incident drew the ire of commuters during the Monday morning rush hour, Josephson said.

The bridge carries 22,000 vehicles daily

“You don’t realize the value of transportation links,” Josephson said.

Only the Johnson Street Bridge (aka the Blue Bridge), at 30,000 vehicles daily, carries more traffic.

A call to the BC One Call service would have provided information about the gas line’s location, said Terasen Gas spokesperson Kirsten Walker.

However, under current regulations, a locator is not dispatched to individual sites and contractors must sometimes rely on old maps to find the lines.

Natural gas is lighter than air, when it escapes from a pipe, it rises and dissipates quickly.

According to Terasen Gas, letting the gas vent into the air is often the safest solution.

The main being replaced by the Point Ellice Bridge is transmission main No. 2, which delivers water to Esquimalt and Victoria. The buried 76-centimetre (30-inch) diameter steel pipe, installed in the 1930s, is being replaced with similar-sized pipe.

The work plan called for the bridge’s closure from 6 p.m to 7 a.m. Sunday to Thursday to carry out connections to both ends of the bridge.

The original completion date for the Capital Regional District project was Feb. 4.

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