A natural gas leak which occurred last week at the West Heating Plant caused the blockage of roads in the area and the rerouting of Huskie Bus route No. 4 throughout the weekend.

Workers first noticed a natural gas odor sometime late Wednesday or early Thursday at the plant between Grant Towers South and Lincoln Hall, said Michael Saari, associate director of the physical plant.

Matt Evert, a freshman communication major and Douglas Hall resident, said he noticed an odor but did not know what it was.

Officials, after consulting heating plant facilities managers, Nicor Gas and the contractor hired to make the repairs, determined no immediate danger was present and it was safe to allow service to continue, Saari said.

Heating plant officials said the leak occurred underground just north of the plant.

The leak may have started because gas mains left underground for long periods of time can develop small holes, allowing the gas to permeate through the ground, Saari said.

The low-pressure line, which serves Grant and Stevenson Towers, provides service to clothes dryers in the laundry rooms and food service areas.

Officials also determined the amount of gas escaping was insignificant, and thus would not present any significant loss of money for the university, Saari said.

Originally planned for Saturday, the repairs were later rescheduled for Monday based on the specialized contractor’s availability.

Saari said there would be a short service interruption Monday morning while the line was being repaired but expected service to resume shortly after.

The barricading of roads in the area caused a problem for the Huskie Bus Line, as the No. 4 route, which includes the NIU campus circle left and right buses, was unable to get through the area.

Huskie Line officials quickly re-routed the buses to enter west campus via the Grant Drive Extension and continue south to Grant Towers North before continuing to Stevenson Towers.

The reroute resulted in confusion among students who did not know where to get on the buses Friday afternoon. Adding to the confusion was the fact NIU was hosting an open house the same day.

“I just hope we get back on schedule soon,” said Charles Battista, Huskie Line general manager.

Student Association transportation director J.R. Perez said Friday afternoon the SA was working to distribute fliers to alert students to the rerouting of the buses and expected the task to be complete by Friday night.

“The SA is sensitive to the student’s needs and concerns and will cater to them,” Perez said.

Melissa Cassidy, a freshman special education major and Grant South resident, said she did not notice an odor and was unaware of a problem until a Huskie Bus dropped her off on Annie Glidden Road instead of the stop east of Grant Towers South.

“They didn’t tell you,” she said. “They just stopped.”

As of Sunday night Cassidy said she had not seen any fliers advertising the reroute.