Highway 59 North Of Welch Closed For Gas Line Repairs

A Craig County highway is closed until further notice after a gas line leak. Highway 2/59 between Welch and Chetopa, Kansas, has been shut down as crews work to repair the leak.

Craig County Emergency manager Morris Bluejacket said a maintenance crew was working on a 16-inch line and accidentally hit a valve on the line, causing the leak. One home had to be evacuated, he said.

The Kansas Department of Transportation has also closed Highway 59 to traffic from the U.S. Highway 59/166 junction at Chetopa south to the Kansas-Oklahoma border.

Drivers should avoid the area.