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U.S. 19 Open After Gas Leak Is Fixed

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By DAVID SOMMER

The Tampa Tribune

Published: May 7, 2008

PORT RICHEY - Rush hour traffic on U.S. 19 snarled in both directions north of Jasmine Boulevard for about 70 minutes late Tuesday afternoon while emergency crews worked to plug a natural gas leak coming from the Congo River miniature golf course construction site.

The highway was blocked north of Gulfview Square mall from about 4:40 p.m. until just before 6. Traffic backed up as motorists squeezed through detours laid out on narrower side streets.

Guests at the adjacent Holiday Inn Express were evacuated for a shorter period of time while emergency workers waited for a Tampa Electric Co. crew to shut down the gas line.

The leak was first reported at 4:24 p.m., according to Pasco County Fire Rescue officials. Traffic on U.S. 19 was halted in both directions between Jasmine Boulevard to the south and Coventry Drive to the north.

The miniature golf course is scheduled to open later this month. The leak occurred when a bulldozer doing the final grading on a strip of land between the golf course and the Holiday Inn struck an unmarked underground gas pipeline, said Tyson Vozza, vice president of development for Congo River Golf & Exploration.

"The supervisor had called to have all the utilities marked. Unfortunately, that gas line was unmarked," Vozza said.

Reporter David Sommer can be reached at (727) 815-1087 or dsommer@tampatrib.com.

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