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A contractor nicked a gas line that runs next to Bootjack Road Tuesday afternoon. At 3:34, the Houghton and Keweenaw County Office of Emergency Measures put out an immediate advisory rerouting traffic at the intersection of Bootjack and Rice Lake Roads. The alternate route took cars to Paradise Lane, Mud Lake Road, Chipmunk Trail and Seasonal Road before returning to Bootjack Road south of the incident.
Lake Linden Fire assisted on scene by enforcing the detour on the north side. Bootjack Fire Department did the same on the south and was still maintaining traffic control where repairs were being made to the SEMCO line, bringing the road down to one lane for about an eighth of a mile.
SEMCO Spokesperson Tim Lubbers says that area residents never lost service, but it was touch and go immediately after the main line was ruptured.
Luckily, the materials used for the line made it easier to repair.
SEMCO and MasTec crews were on scene for another four hours after the detour was lifted at 5:05 PM.
