Gas Line Fire Closes Phoenix 7th Street Bridge Over Salt River

By Autriya Maneshni
Published: Tuesday, March 2, 2021 - 1:59pm
Updated: Tuesday, March 2, 2021 - 2:01pm
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A gas line fire early Sunday morning caused the bride over Salt River at Seventh Street to be shut down. The bridge is expected to stay closed for several months due to the severity of the damages.

Seventh Street north and south of the Salt River, between Broadway Road and Interstate 17, will remain closed to pedestrians, cyclists and vehicles.

City officials said that no resident or firefighters were injured. 

Amy Washburn, a spokesperson for Southwest Gas, said they were able to quickly help those who experienced gas usage disruptions. 

“We were grateful that we only lost service to six customers in the area,” Washburn said. “As of this morning, all of those six commercial customers have had their service restored. No residential customers were impacted by this incident.” 

Phoenix Mayor Kate Gallego said they will be working diligently to open the street again. 

“As a south Phoenix resident, I know that the Seventh Street artery is very important for traffic moving in and out of this area and we are going to work closely with our partners to mitigate traffic impacts as much as possible,” Gallego said. 

City officials recommend that residents use 7th Avenue or 19th Avenue to the west, and 16th Street or 24th Street to the east to deter their routes.

"We realize this thoroughfare is essential to our transportation network and want to emphasize that reopening the bridge as safely and quickly as possible is a priority,” said Ashley Patton, the spokesperson for the Street Transportation Department, in an email statement. 

Hiking trails running in either direction of the bridge will also remain closed.