Stretch of West Coast Highway in Newport Beach reopens following gas leak

A portion of West Coast Highway in Newport Beach was closed for about four hours Thursday as authorities searched for the source of a gas leak, police said.

Authorities closed the road between Dover Drive and Tustin Avenue in both directions shortly before 2 p.m. after someone reported smelling gas in the area.

SoCalGas sent crews to find and repair the leak, which authorities think began when a line ruptured on a construction site in the 2200 block of West Coast Highway.

The road reopened shortly after 6 p.m., authorities said.

hannah.fry@latimes.com

Twitter: @HannahFryTCN

UPDATES:

8 a.m. March 9: This article was updated with the road open and information about the source of the leak.

6:10 p.m.: This article was updated with several lanes reopening.

5:30 p.m.: This article was updated with the highway remaining closed.

This article was originally published at 4:30 p.m.