IF YOU’RE DRIVING THAT WAY THIS WEEKEND FIND AN ALTERNATIVE ROUTE!
No injuries were reported and no evacuations were ordered in the sparsely populated area in Iberville Parish, about 23 miles west of Baton Rouge, where the well blew wild Thursday afternoon, about 100 yards from the highway.
Traffic was rerouted onto U.S. 190 at Louisiana Highway 415 westbound and Interstate 49 eastbound.
Cudd Well Control of Houston was assembling equipment needed to clear the area around the well and to safely cap it, state police said in a news release Friday.
State police learned of the rupture about 5 p.m., and several motorists reported a significant haze and a strong gas smell while traveling on the Whiskey Bay Bridge, authorities said.
Bridas Energy workers were drilling for a new well when pressure built and blew the line about 4:30 p.m. Thursday, state police said. It caught fire about an hour later.
