NATCHEZ &8212; A bulldozer struck a gas main Friday morning, causing a high-pressure leak that forced the temporary evacuation of nearby homes.

The incident occurred on Sergeant Prentiss Drive near Liberty Road, the site of the Mississippi Department of Transportation&8217;s Liberty Road interchange project.

The bulldozer was digging a drainage culvert when it hit the line.

The driver turned the bulldozer and surrounding equipment off and exited the immediate scene.

MDOT project engineer Nellie Wimberly said the subcontractor &8212; Midway Construction of Roxie &8212; had already uncovered part of the eight-inch gas line.

&8220;It was located; they were digging in an area where they thought they had a couple more inches and they didn&8217;t,&8221; she said.

It took nearly 90 minutes for the gas company, Atmos Energy, to get the gas turned off.

One valve was easy, operations supervisor Andrew Calvit said, but the other was covered and damaged by other construction equipment.

Favorable winds prevented the gas from settling and posing danger to nearby homes and schools.

&8220;When it first happened, Natchez High reported right after 8 a.m. a gas smell, but the wind was steady enough to dissipate it,&8221; Civil Defense Director George Souderes said.

By the time Souderes got to Natchez High School to investigate, the gas has cleared.

Eddie Beach of Midway Construction said several factors contributed to the accident.

&8220;We had the line exposed at one location and at another location and we just assumed it was a straight line, but it didn&8217;t, it made a slight turn,&8221; Beach said.

That turn was where the driver, Beach&8217;s son Brad &8212; who has eight years&8217; experience &8212; cut into the plastic line, &8220;and you can&8217;t feel a plastic pipe with a bulldozer,&8221; the elder Beach said.

&8220;They made the assumption that it was in a straight line,&8221; Calvit said. &8220;Nothing&8217;s straight, not even a piece of steel pipe.&8221;

Tanner Construction Company, the prime contractor on the project, said it has worked with Beach before and maintains trust in the company.

Tanner Construction Estimator Calvin Davidson said the blame goes to his company.

&8220;The law is very hard on us. If we hit it, it&8217;s our fault, regardless of the situation,&8221; he said.

Atmos&8217; Calvit said he wouldn&8217;t know until he heard from his engineers how much gas had escaped through the rupture.

Wimberly said the area would be repaired and work would resume Monday.

Calvit urged anyone digging anywhere to call 1-800-227-6477 for information about gas lines in the area.