UPDATE: Capitol Boulevard is back open in downtown this morning after a leak in a geothermal line forced the road to shut down Tuesday morning.
ORIGINAL STORY: An underground geothermal line break prompted crews to shut down a major downtown Boise intersection Tuesday morning.
Crews shut down the intersection of Capitol Blvd. and Main Street after “a large amount of steam” arose in the area.
“We don’t yet know what caused the break. But the line is only a few feet below the surface, so crews are easily getting to it,” said Boise City Public Works Department spokesman Colin Hickman.
The break was first reported shortly after 7 a.m., causing a snarl in downtown commute traffic.
One lane of Capital Blvd. has since re-opened.
Valley Ride Transit buses are being detoured around the block, in order to safely enter and exit the transit hub. “But this is only a minor detour, and VRT tells me there’s no major impact,” Hickman said.
It is not immediately known what caused the leak.
Stay with Idaho on Your Side as more information becomes available.
