Natalie Neysa Alund

nalund@tennessean.com

A gas leak in downtown Nashville that shut down a portion of Third Avenue South Wednesday afternoon has been capped, authorities said.

The incident was reported just before 3 p.m. at Third Avenue South and Molloy Street after construction crews reported hitting a gas line near the downtown Jimmy Johns.

The Encore residential condos on Third Avenue South were evacuated after the leak was reported, a Metro dispatcher said.

The smell of natural gas lingered in the air after the Nashville Fire Department managed to stop the leak and the roadway was reopened to traffic around 4 p.m.

Ariana Sawyer contributed to this report. Reach Natalie Neysa Alund at 615-259-8072 and follow her on Twitter @nataliealund.