Gas main break prompting evacuations, road closures in New Brunswick, NJ

NEW BRUNSWICK, New Jersey (WABC) -- Buildings were evacuated and streets shut down in a New Jersey city after a gas main break Thursday.

The incident happened on Somerset Street near Little Albany Avenue in New Brunswick, when a contractor apparently damaged a gas main located under the ambulance entrance ramp to Robert Wood Johnson's emergency room around 2 p.m.

The break prompted authorities to temporarily evacuate nearby schools as a precaution, though New Brunswick Public Schools Superintendent Dr. Aubrey Johnson said all students were safe.

"Because of a gas leak in the vicinity of our Lincoln School Annex at 165 Somerset Street, all students in that building were - as part of our district's safety protocol - evacuated to the Lincoln School at 66 Bartlett Street," Johnson said.

Dismissal happened on regular schedule.

The hospital emergency room was not evacuated.

Somerset Street was closed to all vehicular and pedestrian traffic until just after 3 p.m. Still, police said drivers should expect traffic delays in the area spanning from Easton Avenue to Louis Street.

PSE&G crews made the area safe and are making repairs.