A gas leak in Portage led to the closure of I-94 for much of Tuesday afternoon.
Portage police say a construction crew struck a gas main on Daniel Burnham Drive in the Ameriplex development, "resulting in a large release of natural gas." Video shared on social media by the Portage Fire Department appeared to show gas gushing out of the ground.
Mayor Austin Bonta said on Facebook that the southeast corner of Ameriplex was evacuated for a time, but NIPSCO reported the area was otherwise safe and its crews were making repairs.
Bonta thanked the city's police and fire departments, during a special city council meeting Tuesday. "It is not a Portage line or anything like that, but our teams for police and fire have been doing a great job all day handling traffic, getting information out, keeping the public as calm as we can be and as safe as we can be, and it's appreciated.
I-94 began to be reopened after 6:00 p.m. No injuries were reported.
