Gas leak causes temporary street closures, evacuations and suspension of Halifax ferry service

A natural gas leak closed portions of downtown Halifax on Monday afternoon.

Heritage Gas says that a natural gas line was damaged during construction activity at 1751 Lower Water Street.

Officials were able to quickly shut down the flow of gas but Halifax Fire and Emergency crews were on scene blocking off streets in the surrounding area as a safety precaution.

Traffic was being redirected around the area for a short period of time before the road was reopened at approximately 4:00 p.m.

READ MORE: Halifax imposes traffic restrictions on area around downed crane

Halifax Transit said in a tweet that Halifax Regional Police had evacuated the nearby Halifax Ferry Terminal as a result of the gas leak.

The closures caused ferry service to be temporarily suspended.

Service resumed after officials gave the all-clear sign at approximately 4:00 p.m.

Heritage Gas says that repairs to the gas line will take approximately two hours. They’ve promised to conduct a full investigation into the nature of the incident.