Neighborhood evacuated

A 16-inch natural gas line south of New Prague was damaged Wednesday, July 13, during road construction, resulting in evacuation of area residents, that lasted until Thursday afternoon.

Road construction crews working on reconstruction of Le Sueur County Road 28 struck the line approximately one-half mile east of the intersection with Le Sueur County Road 144. As a result, County Road 28 and the road leading into Sanborn Housing Subdivision were closed until crews from Northern Natural Gas could assess the damage. Approximately five families spent the night at New Prague’s AmericInn Motel at the expense of the gas company.

On Thursday the Northern Natural Gas crews found that damage was not as severe as it could have been. A pipe sleeve was welded around the pipe and work was completed by late afternoon. The road was then reopened and people were allowed to return to their homes.