***Updated at 6:15 p.m., Feb. 27***

Crews are still working to stem a gas line break at the corner of Beltline Road and Golfview Drive in Collinsville. The fix is expected to take at least two more hours. Unable to locate the valve to shut the line down, Ameren crews are installing a cap-like device on the line, Captain Dusty Katich of the Collinsville Fire Department said.

Traffic is still being diverted off the Beltine and on to side roads.

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A major gas line break at Beltline Road and Golfview Drive has closed the intersection.

Traffic is being re-routed from the Beltline onto side streets.

Crews working at the site of a gas line break at the corner of Beltline Road and Golfview Drive, Collinsville / Photo by Roger Starkey

Crews installing fiber optic cable broke a 4 inch gas line at about 1:45 p.m. Thursday, prompting the road closure and sending gas into the surrounding area. Reports of gas smells as far away as SS Peter and Paul Church at 207 Vandalia Street, over a mile away, Captain Dusty Katich of the Collinsville Fire Department said.

As long as windy condition persists, there is no concern about evacuating the area, Katich said.

Renfro Elementary and Dorris Intermediate schools are near the location of the gas leak. School officials have been notified and buses are being re-routed accordingly.

As of 3 p.m. Ameren crews were attempting to locate a valve to shut down the line. There is currently no time estimate for when the line will be shut down.

When the valve is located, it is thought the nearby US Bank and McDonalds will need to be closed. Both are currently operational. The Subway at the corner of Golfview and Beltine was closed because customers had no access to the building.

The Collinsville Fire Department, Street Department, Water Department, Ameren and Collinsville Emergency Management Agency are all on the scene.