[See update below]
Work on a leaking natural gas line is expected to impact traffic on Newman Springs Road in Red Bank and Tinton Falls through the rest of the day, authorities said Monday afternoon.
Red Bank police Chief Darren McConnell said a “significant” underground leak had been reported by New Jersey Natural Gas Company in the vicinity of Leighton Avenue on the Red Bank side of Newman Springs Road, and Howard Avenue on the Tinton Falls side.
No evacuation was requested, he said, but the utility expects the work to find and fix the leak to last overnight into Tuesday morning.
During that time, Newman Springs Road will be reduced to a single lane of traffic in each direction, which is expected to cause greater-than-usual traffic backups during the Monday evening rush hour, McConnell said.
[UPDATE, 3:53 p.m.] NJNG spokesman Mike Kinney told redbankgreen that the leak was not called in by a resident or passerby but was instead detected by company equipment during routine inspection work.
As of 3:45 p.m., the utility was working to locate the source of the leak, which Kinney said experience suggested was “most likely” the result of someone striking a gas line while installing a fence or other work that involved digging.
The narrowing of the roadway to two lanes is expected to last through the Monday evening rush hour, he said.
