Major Lake Norman road closed for hours after gas line break prompts evacuations
Crews expanding a major Lake Norman-area highway cut a gas line Friday, prompting evacuations and closing the busy road for hours, witnesses and town officials said.
The line ruptured on West Plaza Drive (N.C. 150) in Mooresville, near the Randy Marion auto dealership, town officials said on social media.
Fumes shot skyward, along with red clay dirt caught in the spewing gas, Charlotte Observer news parter WSOC reported.
Dirt blanketed the dealership’s sign and outdoor vehicles, according to the station.
“We heard the sound, and at first I was like, that’s a pretty loud sound,” Corky Trutza, manager of the nearby Mooresville Golf Range, told WSOC. “Next thing I know, fire guys are knocking on the door.”
On the town’s Facebook page, a witness said he was 200 feet from the gas line when a back hoe operator ruptured the line.
“It was pretty crazy,” the man said. “Dirt and natural gas shooting about 60 feet in the air.”
No injuries were reported.
Highway widening project
Crews are expanding the highway to three lanes in each direction as part of the $249 million widening of N.C. 150 in Iredell and Catawba counties.
The project will include a massive new 10-lane bridge over the highway at Interstate 77 exit 36.
In the first phase of the bridge work, crews will build additional eastbound lanes on N.C. 150, according to NCDOT. The second phase will add westbound lanes, officials said.
“The final phase will complete the transition to a 160-foot-wide structure featuring ten travel lanes, tying in the bridge to the existing roadway, and removing the existing bridge,” according to the NCDOT statement.
Between U.S. 21 and I-77 exit 36 in Mooresville, crews are installing storm drains, hauling and grading dirt, moving water meters and building small retaining walls, according to an update by the town on Friday.
Major fill work is underway near Chick-fil-A, and a temporary traffic signal is being installed, town officials said. Wall construction has started, beginning at the exit 36 bridge.
15-mile, five-year highway expansion
The overall, 15-mile N.C. 150 widening project is needed to ease decades-old congestion and handle future crowding, officials said. Charlotte-based contractor Blythe Development LLC heads the work.
Construction began this year and is expected to finish in 2030.
This story was originally published October 18, 2025 at 11:26 AM.