Gas leak and closure along Columbia Pike

The westbound lanes of Columbia Pike are closed near Penrose Square due to a gas leak.

It appears that a construction crew working in the roadway struck a gas line. Police, firefighters and Washington Gas crews have responded to the scene.

As a result, westbound traffic is being diverted onto S. Barton Street, according to scanner traffic. One lane of eastbound traffic remains open.

It is not immediately clear how long the closure will last.

Arlington has seen a spate of gas line ruptures recently, mostly due to construction activity. S. Walter Reed Drive was completely blocked for a period of time on May 19 and two separate road closures for gas leaks, in Westover and Halls Hill, were reported on May 30.


Washington Gas truck (file photo)

(Updated at 12:10 p.m.) The smell of natural gas has been reported in parts of the Westover neighborhood after a major leak.

The leak in a gas transmission line was first reported around 9:30 a.m. on the 1800 block of N. Lexington Street. Initial reports suggest that Arlington’s emergency dispatch center received reports of a gas smell in the nearby Westover library, Cardinal Elementary School and other locations as a result of the leak.

“It has come to our attention that there is a leak in a gas line up the street and there have been reports of a gas smell in pockets throughout the building, the principal of Cardinal Elementary wrote in an email to families. “We were told that the students are safe and it will be fixed soon.”

Washington Gas crews are now on scene working to repair the line. Firefighters are also standing by, just in case.


Closure for gas leak on S. Walter Reed Drive

Update at 3 p.m. — The road has reopened, per police radio traffic.

A portion of S. Walter Reed Drive is closed due to a gas line rupture.

The artery is currently closed between 6th and 7th streets — about halfway between Route 50 and Columbia Pike — after reports of a construction crew accidentally rupturing a sizable gas line.

There’s no word on how long the road closure will last. Firefighters are on scene with hoses at the ready should something ignite the leaking natural gas before Washington Gas crews can shut off the line.


(Updated at 9:15 p.m.) A busy set of highway ramps were shut down in Ballston due to a construction mishap.

A construction crew accidentally ruptured a large, 6-inch gas line along the 4600 block of Fairfax Drive, in front of the Holiday Inn hotel.

The fire department quickly requested that Arlington County police and Virginia State Police shut down all of Fairfax Drive between N. Glebe Road and I-66, including the ramp from the highway.

Firefighters also evaluated whether they should evacuate the hotel and surrounding buildings, but no evacuations were ultimately reported.

As of 3:15 p.m., the leak was still active, according to the fire department, despite Washington Gas crews having been on scene for about an hour, and the odor of natural gas was spreading throughout the area.

“Odor can be smelled throughout Ballston,” ACFD said on social media. “This will be an extended operation with impacts for an unknown duration.”

Firefighters were dispatched to at least one location outside of Ballston, in the nearby Bluemont neighborhood, after a caller reported a concerningly strong smell of gas.

As of 7:15 p.m., the roadway and the ramps reopened, though lane closures remain on Fairfax Drive.


(Updated at 11:40 a.m.) Firefighters are on scene of a large gas line rupture near Rocky Run Park, in Courthouse.

Initial reports suggest that a 3-inch natural gas line was accidentally struck by construction workers near the intersection of N. Barton Street and 11th Street N.

Those and other nearby streets are being blocked by police. A large fire department response and Washington Gas crews are now on scene.

It may take an hour or two to fully shut off the gas due to the size of the ruptured line requiring more personnel to secure it, according to scanner traffic.

Firefighters are in the process of evaluating whether any nearby buildings will need to be evacuated.

Map via Google Maps


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All lanes of Columbia Pike are blocked due to a large gas leak.

The leak is along the Pike near S. Scott Street and a number of large apartment buildings. Police, firefighters and Washington Gas crews are on scene, repairing the leak and checking nearby buildings for elevated levels of natural gas.

The road closure is affecting several bus lines, including Metro and ART buses.

“Due to emergency utility repairs, Columbia Pike is closed between Quinn St. and S. Walter Reed Dr,” said Arlington Transit. “ART Routes 42, 45 & 74 will be on detour until further notice.”

As of 1:30 p.m. the road was expected to remain closed for at least another 30-60 minutes.


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(Updated at 4:25 p.m.) Two women were rescued by firefighters this afternoon in dramatic fashion, after a gas leak was discovered in their home along Columbia Pike.

The rescues happened shortly before 3:30 p.m., after police were called to the house at the intersection of the Pike and S. Rolfe Street for a welfare check.

“Officers were conducting a check on the welfare. When they made entry to the residence they smelled gas, and called for the fire department,” said Arlington County Police Department spokeswoman Ashley Savage. “Two adult females have been transported to local hospitals.”

Initial reports suggest that firefighters searching the house found the victims inside suffering from possible carbon monoxide poisoning. They were pulled outside and treated before being rushed to the hospital.

Eastbound Columbia Pike was blocked near the intersection with S. Rolfe Street during the incident. The Pike has since reopened, though S. Rolfe Street remains closed.

The house has been ventilated and police are now investigating the incident. Washington Gas crews are also on scene, investigating the leak.

So far there’s no word yet on the condition of the two victims.

A neighbor tells ARLnow that “two lovely [older] ladies” live in the home.

“God, I hope they are okay,” said the neighbor, who did not provide her name.

Matt Blitz contributed to this report. Map via Google Maps.


(Updated at 5:30 p.m.) Residents have been evacuated from homes in the Rock Spring neighborhood due to a “major outside gas leak.”

Williamsburg Blvd is currently closed between George Mason Drive and N. Harrison Street, near Williamsburg Middle School.

Initial reports suggest that workers digging up part of Williamsburg Blvd struck a large, 12-inch gas line. A crew from Washington Gas is on scene working to stop the leak.

“Residents closest to the leak will be evacuated,” the Arlington County Fire Department said. “Only evacuate if required to do so by firefighters.”

Map via Google Maps


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