by Kate Shunney

Discharge from a valve at a natural gas pipeline connection point along Hancock Road in northern Morgan County on Sunday caused the temporary closure of U.S. 522 in both directions as gas company workers responded to the site.

The discharge was detected by a passerby, as it was visible from U.S. 522.

Mountaineer Gas and TC Energy operate the distribution point, which connects their two natural gas pipelines.

Mountaineer Gas officials said the discharge was steam from a valve.

According to emergency officials, technicians from both companies arrived at the site at roughly the same time – one from Mountaineer Gas in Winchester, Va. and the other from TC Energy in Pennsylvania.

Traffic was able to resume movement on U.S. 522 shortly before 9:30 p.m.

Photos on social media showed traffic backed up and sitting on the Hancock bridge on Sunday evening. A detour was set up to take vehicles east on River Road to various routes to get around the closure.

Media representatives from TC Energy, parent company of Columbia Gas, said the leak did not occur on their equipment.

A spokesperson for Mountain Gas Company told The Morgan Messenger that the incident involved a relief valve.

“A relief valve at Mountaineer’s facilities operated as designed, safely releasing steam from a line heater. Authorities briefly closed the road as a precaution. Mountaineer and TC Energy employees resolved the matter promptly. No customers were affected,” the company said in response to questions.

By press time, the company did not clarify if only steam was released or gas was discharged from the valve as well.

The connection point south of the Hancock bridge was put in service on June 26, 2025 following the construction of a gas pipeline from Fulton County, Pa. to feed the Mountaineer Gas pipeline into the Eastern Panhandle market.