Con Ed workers repair daylong gas leak

A team of workers from Con Edison of New York repaired a gas leak on Cannon Place tonight after hours of searching for the source.

A Con Ed spokesman said the cause of the leak was not clear. Yesterday marked the start of underground construction work on the street unrelated to gas lines.

But possible causes included last night’s sharp change in temperature along with workers’ error. It is also possible that contract workers commissioned to make major fixes on Cannon Place simply unearthed a longstanding leak in the course of their labor.

“The only thing I can say is gas leaks can happen from time to time,” Con Ed spokesperson Michael Clendenin said. “Our crews saw this, found it and made it safe.”

Workers began leaving the site of the leak, between Giles Place and West 238th Street, around 6:30 p.m. A worker who declined to give his name confirmed the team of about six successfully identified and repaired the problem, which Con Ed learned about from a call at 10:56 a.m. A crew arrived at 11:16 a.m.

As the smell of gas dissipated from Cannon Place, residents continued to fear the worst with a major 18-month-long construction project underway. Yesterday, the city began a $3.5 million undertaking to build a wall to replace the structure supporting a hill Cannon Place sits on, with replacement work on the sewer and gas and water lines scheduled as well. The city began the work after recently declaring the current wall's unstable condition an emergency.

“It just never ends for our block,” said Cannon Place resident Joelle Lynch. “I like that they don’t tell the homeowners that something is going on. I have small children. I have concerns. That worries me.”

In spite of Department of Design and Construction promises at a recent community meeting to keep residents abreast of developments on their street, homeowners did not report receiving any notification of the situation throughout the day.