OTTAWA, On. — Rideau Street was shut down for over an hour on Saturday afternoon, due to a gas leak.

Businesses and homes between Nelson St. and Friel St. were evacuated, when construction workers hit a gas line at 11:40 a.m.

“Construction crew had severed a one inch high-pressure gas line on Rideau St. right near the corner of Nelson. When our crews arrived, there was quite a bit of gas in the area,” says Ottawa Fire Spokesperson Marc Messier.

The smell of gas was overwhelming in the area, and pedestrians were covering their mouths and pulling their shirts over their noses as they walked by.

Enbridge crews managed to clamp the line just before 1:00 p.m. and the street was re-opened to traffic.