Residents in Olyphant are facing detours and gas service disruptions as UGI crews repair a broken gas main.

OLYPHANT, Pa. — Hundreds of cars were forced to take a detour Tuesday morning off of South Valley Avenue onto side streets that snake through Olyphant as crews with UGI work to repair a broken gas main.

“Loud, very loud. Although the guys are very, very nice, it’s just the equipment is just loud,” said one Olyphant resident.

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Residents dealing with detours, service disruptions as crews repair broken gas main in Olyphant

Neighbors who spoke to Newswatch 16 off camera say work went on late into Monday night and began early on Tuesday.

A spokesperson with UGI told Newswatch 16 that the main break was caused after a contractor struck the 12-inch line while digging in the road.

“The smell and the sound when they hit it, it was like a geyser. I thought it was actually a water main that they hit. I thought it was spring. It was, it blasted,” said the resident.

Paul Halloran lives less than a block from where crews are working and is one of the roughly 150 UGI customers who lost service. “It seemed everybody seems to be doing as much as they can. I was talking to utility guys, and it is what it is,” he said.

Halloran says he relies on gas for heat and other household needs. While he’s without it now, he says it hasn’t become a burden. “We have supplemental, additional heat other areas through electric and that, but heat and hot water for a couple. I have a couple apartments, and they’re fine, but the downstairs has a little problem, that’s all.”

Once the repairs in the roadway are made, the work will still continue. UGI officials say crews will make their way to affected neighborhoods and manually turn each household’s gas back on.

UGI officials ask homeowners to be patient as they work to get each household’s gas turned back on.

“I think I’d rather them be safe than sorry. Be thorough and do it professionally and as best as possible. I don’t want any unforeseen damage done or who knows what could go wrong,” said Halloran.

You can expect to see UGI crews going door to door through the neighborhood. There is no exact timeline for when all gas will be restored.