Broken gas line interrupts Internet planting

A service crew contracted to bore holes for Tri-County Telephone’s fiber Internet project in Hillsboro dug into an unmarked gas line Thursday morning.

The gas line branched off a different, marked line, but workers were not aware of it until they cut into it with a backhoe.

“For whatever reason, the gas company did not locate that gas line,” TCT general manager Dale Jones said. “They had an all-clear on it.”

The line fed apartments that had converted to an electric system and abandoned it. Jones said this could have been why workers were not told about the line, despite it still having pressure and gas inside.

“That was a mistake that should not happen,” he said. “You don’t want to hit gas lines, period.”

Atmos Energy was working on a different gas line a block away. Workers were able to pinch the damaged line closed within five minutes of the rupture.