The Maine Turnpike has been reopened after a propane leak at the turnpike maintenance facility in Litchfield this morning forced the road to be closed.

The leak has been shut off and the road , both north and southbound lanes, was reopened about 8:40 AM.

The highway was shut down shortly before 7 a.m. from Sabattus to Gardiner after a leak was discovered from a propane tank that overturned or fell at the Maine Turnpike Authority’s maintenance facility in Litchfield.

The north- and southbound lanes were closed for a distance of about 20 miles from the Sabattus exit to the Gardiner exit where Interstate 295 merges with the turnpike, said Maine Turnpike Authority spokesman Dan Paradee.

Firefighter crews were called to the scene to transfer propane from the fallen tank into another receptacle, said Public Safety Department spokesman Steve McCausland. The section of road was expected to remain closed until midmorning.