Village: 135th Street Closure Could Last Through the Weekend

A section of 135th Street near Weber Road will remain closed for at least a few more days as a crew works to repair a .

“We think the road will be closed at least for another several days,” Village Manager Steve Gulden told village trustees Wednesday, adding that a detour could be in place through the weekend.

The roadway near the gas station has been closed since Sunday, after a Saturday afternoon butane gas leak prompted evacuation of businesses within 800 feet of the site. After the leak was reported, Weber Road was also shut down from Lakewood Falls Drive to Normantown Road as crews worked to flush out the potentially explosive gas.

Megan Washbourne, a spokewoman for pipeline owner ONEOK Partners, said this week that repairs on the underground pipeline could take up to a week. The company is still investigating the cause of the leak.

The ruptured pipeline caused butane gas to be released on both the northeast and southeast corners of Weber and 135th Street, according to Chief Mark Turvey.

On Wednesday, Mayor John Noak said it’s too early to tell exactly how much the leak will cost the village in manpower and other expenses. ONEOK is expected to reimburse the village for any costs incurred after the May 14 emergency.

“They’ll be fully responsible for everything,” Noak said, adding the village is working with its insurance company to determine the full cost of the incident.

Gulden said police will be beefing up traffic enforcement near the site of the spill, particularly at Weber and Grand Boulevard near .

With 135th Street closed between the grocery store and Weber Road, “Everyone is cutting through the Dominick’s parking lot,” Gulden said, which is causing heavy traffic heading out onto Grand Boulevard.

ONEOK crews are on site working to repair the line under the supervision of the U.S. Department of Transportation, according to Public Works Director Dan Bromberek.

Third spill since September

This is the third time this year a pipeline break has caused problems in Romeoville. In September, the Enbridge crude oil spill near Parkwood Avenue and Route 53 dumped 457,800 gallons of oil. Three months later, a crude oil line owned by West Shore Pipeline near the Citgo Lemont Refinery ruptured, closing a section of 135th Street near New Avenue for several days as cleanup crews worked to minimize the impact.

Gulden noted that the village’s emergency responders and staff have grown accustomed to dealing with the aftermath of a spill.

“We’re getting good at these kind of responses,” he said.

“That’s not something we want to be known for,” Noak added. Other agencies that assisted Romeoville police and fire during the May 14 emergency were Bolingbrook, Lemont, Plainfield, Lockport, Northwest Homer, Argonne, Darien-Woodridge, Tri-State and Pleasantview, he said.

During a village board meeting Wednesday, trustee Sue Micklevitz questioned whether aging pipelines could be the reason for numerous leaks in Romeoville, as well as throughout the country.

Fire Chief Kent Adams said the ONEOK pipeline, which runs to the Citgo refinery, was installed in 1967.

While area pipelines are monitored by agencies, including the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, “It’s been in the ground a long time,” Adams said. “Standards change.” 

Butane is a colorless gas that can explode if it comes into contact with a spark, but dissipates after being released into the air.

Because it has largely evaporated, Gulden said, officials don’t anticipate any lingering effects on the surrounding environment.

“There is no environmental issue out there, there is no safety issue,” Gulden said. “It’s just a construction site.”