What to know about the gas leak on Highway 45 South

JACKSON, Tenn. — Despite frigid temperatures, Jackson Energy Authority crews have tirelessly worked to repair a gas leak that was detected Thursday evening on 45 South at the South Fork of the Forked Deer River.

“These are not ideal conditions to do work. It was extremely cold last night, it is still cold today — even though we have sunshine. Visibility is good today. We are hoping to get that complete,” said Steve Bowers, communications manager for JEA.

After assessing a disruption, it was determined there was a leak in an 8-inch pipeline that was interrupting the normal flow of natural gas. According to JEA, crews worked throughout the night Thursday and into and Friday to repair the leak.

“The immediate concern was traffic in that area,” said Bowers.

Video shows traffic backed up in the southbound lanes of Highway 45 Thursday. According to officials, the outside lane could be closed for up to 48 hours.

JEA says the objective is to finish repairs Friday, however, if not resolved, there will still be a single lane via that route.

NOTE: Shortly before this article’s publication, JEA confirmed to us at 4:30 p.m. that crews have successfully repaired the natural gas leak and now will begin clearing pipe and equipment from the scene. That work will continue into Friday evening. JEA says Highway 45 South will only have one lane available until the repair area has been cleared.

They also say that this leak has not led to any major disruptions for customers.

“We have not had any customers go without natural gas. There have been some cut backs as far as some large industries, just because of high demand that goes on during this time of year. We have not had a significant disruption of gas service, and no customer is totally without,” said Bowers.

JEA also says the leak will not pose a threat to the quality of the water in that area. They also say an odor was noticeable in the air, but there are no concerns with air quality.

It is uncertain what caused the leak; however, with recent flooding followed by frigid temperatures, the area has seen a lot of changes that could have impacted this. According to JEA, determining what happened is part of the on-going work.

For more updates on local traffic, click here.