I-94 in Porter County reopens after gas leak in Portage, but ramps remain closed; heavy traffic and gridlock on secondary roads

PORTAGE, Ind. (WLS) – All lanes of I-94 in Porter County between State Road 249 and State Road 49 have reopened following a gas leak in Portage, but ramps are still closed. There is heavy traffic and gridlock on secondary roads.

Lane closures and traffic diversions also caused heavy traffic and gridlock on other secondary roads and the Indiana Toll Road.

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NIPSCO said crews were responding to a damaged gas line at the Ameriplex Industrial Park in the 6700 block of Daniel Burnham Drive in Portage. They said the area is now safe, but crews will remain on site to secure it and make repairs.

Indiana State Police said a contractor was drilling underground in the parking lot when he hit a gas line, causing the leak. The incident occurred near a manufacturing company called MCP USA, not far from the highway.

“I’m starting my vacation tomorrow. I wanted to turn in my old uniforms,” ​​said Erc T. Barber, MCP USA employee. “When I got to 12 and 8, I smelled the gasoline and saw all the traffic. I just thought, ‘What’s going on?'”

About 40 employees at Tosca, a packaging company near the leak, had to be evacuated. One employee said gas entered the building after the rupture.

NIPSCO is also monitoring air quality in the region and said there is currently no cause for concern, but there is no time estimate for the outage to be resolved.

Indiana State Police said no injuries were reported.