No one was hurt from a natural gas leak during routine construction work downtown this afternoon.
The leak occurred around 1:45 p.m. on the northwest corner of L and 10th streets, where construction crews had been digging as part of a road-widening project for L Street.
A two-inch plastic gas main was struck by a backhoe, said Pacific Gas & Electric spokeswoman Tamar Sarkissian.
About a handful of people walking in the vicinity said they heard a loud humming noise from the gas being released.
Police diverted traffic, forming a two-block perimeter around the leak. Meanwhile, workers from PG&E and Contra Costa Fire controlled the leak by pinching off the main.
All repairs were completed by 3:45 p.m., Sarkissian said, adding no customers lost service.
Employees of El Pueblo #2 Panaderia y Pasteleria were forced to evacuate the restaurant, even as rice cooked on the stove.
By 2:30 p.m., the road was reopened to traffic and employees returned to work.
