Gas Main Leak in Benton

On Tuesday at approximately 1:15 PM, the Lafayette County Highway Department was relocating a traffic sign at the intersection of County Highway J and Main Street in Benton by the red church when they accidentally struck a 4 inch gas main. Highway 11 was closed from Highway 80 to the east side of Benton. The leak was located and repaired with the roadway reopened at approximately 4 PM. The gas company had a crew of over 20 people working diligently to get it repaired as quickly and safely as possible. This was a situation that could have had a very negative outcome and thanks to the quick response, a possible disaster was averted.