Today, the Iowa City Fire Department was called to the scene of a damaged gas main after it was hit by construction equipment. This incident took place at Rochester and Rita Lyn Court. According to the official Iowa City Public Safety Twitter account, “MidAmerican Energy remains on site, addressing a small gas leak.” However, they also wrote that “Rochester Avenue west of Rita Lyn remains closed to all traffic.”

Thankfully, this was only a small leak in the end – as it could have been far worse. Nonetheless, Iowans may be slightly annoyed as it has also led to a road closure in the area. This comes after construction has taken place on the street over the past few days. Here, gas pipes were exposed due to the digging up of the roads so it is understandable that a gas main was damaged at some point.

Often, road maintenance is done to keep the streets in good standing or to keep gas pipes in running order. So, even though some locals may be mildly annoyed by this sort of work, it is also essential and cannot be ignored. Nonetheless, it’s not every day that a gas main gets damaged either. As mentioned, the good news is that this isn’t anything major and the road closure should be sorted by tomorrow.