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Intercounty Connector (ICC) construction workers hit a gas line on Georgia Avenue in Olney this morning, snarling rush-hour traffic for nearly two hours.
ICC spokeswoman Fran Counihan said that although the utility lines had been marked, the line between Emory Lane and Norbeck Road was hit at about 8:30 a.m.
"Sometimes [the markings] are a little off, and unfortunately, a gas line was hit," she said.
The incident happened in an area of Georgia Avenue where there is little development. There was no problem with fumes, no injuries and no evacuations, Counihan said.
Washington Gas and the fire department were called immediately and one lane of southbound traffic was closed while repairs were made, Counihan said.
"By 10:15, the lane was reopened and everything was back to normal," Counihan said.
The ICC is an 18-mile toll road that will eventually connect Gaithersburg to Interstate 95 in Laurel at a cost of $2.4 billion. The first segment of the roadway, between Interstate 370 and Georgia Avenue, is expected to open in 2010.