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Sunday, November 15, 2026Nov 15

Pipeline will soon reopen, carrying gasoline to 5 states

Plastic bags covering gas pumps informs customers of a gas outage at a station in Alabaster, Ala., on Monday, Sept. 19, 2016, Alabama Gov. Robert Bentley issued a state of emergency after a pipeline spill near Helena, Ala. Gas prices spiked and drivers found "out of service" bags covering pumps as the gas shortage in the South rolled into the work week, raising fears that the disruptions could become more widespread. (AP Photo/Brynn Anderson)
Plastic bags covering gas pumps informs customers of a gas outage at a station in Alabaster, Ala., on Monday, Sept. 19, 2016, Alabama Gov. Robert Bentley issued a state of emergency after a pipeline spill near Helena, Ala. Gas prices spiked and drivers found "out of service" bags covering pumps as the gas shortage in the South rolled into the work week, raising fears that the disruptions could become more widespread. (AP Photo/Brynn Anderson)

ATLANTA – Gasoline should begin flowing again Wednesday – through a temporary bypass on a critical pipeline – after a major leak in Alabama forced a shutdown that led to surging fuel prices and scattered gas shortages across the South, a company official said Tuesday.

The roughly 500-foot (152-meter) section of pipe serving as the bypass is now complete, but supply disruptions may continue for days, Colonial Pipeline spokesman Steve Baker told The Associated Press.

“When Line 1 restarts, it will take several days for the fuel delivery supply chain to return to normal. As such, some markets served by Colonial Pipeline may experience, or continue to experience, intermittent service interruptions. Colonial continues to move as much gasoline, diesel and jet fuel as possible and will continue to do so until markets return to normal,” Colonial said in a statement.

Here are some details related to the spill that led to long gas lines and empty service stations:

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