U.S. 78 in Snellville reopens after gas leak

Atlanta Gas Light crews sealed a gas leak on U.S. 78 late Thursday night after working for nearly 11 hours on the breach, Gwinnett County emergency officials said.

Although the line was repaired at around 10:45 p.m., the stretch of the road near Snellville remained shut down in both directions until about an hour later, Gwinnett fire Capt. Thomas Rutledge said.

He said all but one westbound lane of the road reopened around 11:45 p.m., and would be open for the Friday morning commute.

The road has been closed since midday Thursday.

Crews have been working to fix the leak, but they had to dig on both sides of the roadway to reach the two-way feed. The gas leak was stopped on the eastbound side of U.S. 78, but crews couldn’t locate the line on the westbound side until late Thursday night, Rutledge said.

Four nearby businesses were evacuated and firefighters continued to monitor gas readings in the area through the evening to protect public exposure.

— Marcus K. Garner