A work crew from one utility struck another utility's natural gas line Thursday morning in Plymouth, causing a leak and prompting authorities to evacuate the area for a few hours.

The leak in a CenterPoint Energy gas main occurred shortly at about 10 a.m. near 27th Avenue and Niagara Lane, said police spokeswoman Tammy Ward. That's just to the southwest of Interstate 494 and Hwy. 55.

The line, which runs parallel to 27th, was punctured by an Xcel Energy crew, said CenterPoint spokeswoman Becca Virden. Gas was turned off in the area, Virden said.

Portions of 27th Avenue were closed to traffic, and about 75 people were told to leave three nearby office buildings, Virden added. The evacuation order was lifted shortly before 2:30 p.m. and the road was reopened, she said.

The Xcel crew "was doing some directional boring at the time" to install new electrical cable underground, said Xcel spokesman Thomas Hoen.

Repairs to the line were expected to be complete by 5 p.m., Virden said.

Paul Walsh • 612-673-4482