NEAR WELLINGTON, Fla. (WSVN) – Authorities have reopened Florida’s Turnpike near Wellington in Palm Beach County hours after part of a gas pipeline erupted, causing the highway to be shut down in both directions.
According to Florida Highway Patrol’s West Palm Beach station, a gas pipeline erupted on the northbound side of the Florida Turnpike, adjacent to the Lake Worth Road overpass at the tail end of rush hour, just before 10 a.m., Thursday.
Nearby residents reported hearing a large explosion as far as two miles away.
“All of a sudden, the house literally shook,” said an area resident.
“It sounded like we were at an airport, like jet engines running,” said another area resident.
Officials said the blast was so massive that it compromised the integrity of the overpass, making it unsafe for traffic.
“This one had a whistling that you could almost hear the gas streaming out of the pipeline,” said Justin Levin, the owner of Lake Worth Gold Mine.
FHP troopers, along with deputies from the Palm Beach County Sheriff’s Office, shut down the north and southbound lanes of the Turnpike as Florida Department of Transportation and Florida Gas Transmission crews surveyed the damage.
“We’re just trying to make sure that it’s going to be safe for the traffic to resume,” said FHP Lt. Yanko Reyes.
Aerial views provided by WPTV showed a large crater off the side of the empty Turnpike near Mile Marker 97, at Lake Worth Road, as dirt and debris covered the highway,
Video from a surveillance camera captured sand, dirt and gas spewing from the ground moments after the blast.
Discovery Key Elementary School in Lake Worth, located near the site of the rupture, was evacuated as a precaution.
No serious injuries were reported.
Northbound drivers were detoured at Mile Marker 86, and southbound drivers were diverted at Mile Marker 97.
Southbound lanes reopened to traffic on Thursday evening, and northbound lanes reopened several hours later.
The cause of the rupture remains under investigation.
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