A gas leak closed the New Jersey Turnpike in South Jersey for about an hour Friday afternoon.
New Jersey Turnpike Authority spokesman Tom Feeney said that southbound traffic was being directed off the road at Exit 4 in Mount Laurel and northbound traffic was being diverted at Exit 3 at the boundary of Bellmawr and Runnemede.
Motorists used Interstate 295 -- a non-toll road that runs parallel in that area -- as an alternate route.
As SkyForce10 hovered overhead you could see state police blocking the entire roadway as lanes of vehicles were forced to exit.
Around 1:10 p.m., traffic began moving again along the turnpike.
The leak also closed some nearby roads including Woodcrest and Burnt Mill roads, said Cherry Hill Township.
PATCO service between Lindenwold and Woodcrest stations was briefly suspended, but resumed Friday afternoon. Service on New Jersey Transit's Atlantic City line between Philadelphia and Lindenwold was also suspended.
A preliminary investigation showed that a construction crew working near the highway struck a gas main and that PSE&G needed to shut off the gas before the roadway could reopen, said New Jersey State Police.
