Welding under way on Trans-Alaska pipeline fix

Preliminary work is under way to install a bypass pipe so that the pipeline that serves the nation's largest oil field can be restarted.

The 800-mile trans-Alaska pipeline was shut down Saturday morning when a leak was discovered near a pump station at Prudhoe Bay. The pipeline operated by the Alyeska Pipeline Service Co. delivers about 13 percent of the country's domestic oil production each day.

Alyeska's Stefani Bell says the bypass pipe is being fabricated and welded together.

Officials say a small amount of crude continues to leak into the basement of the pump station near the start of the main line. As of Tuesday morning, about 750 gallons had been collected.

The shutdown is turning into one of the longest for the pipeline, which began operation in 1977