MOUNT VERNON – Columbia Gas has announced plans to install 10,000 feet of new plastic pipe on the southeast side of Mount Vernon beginning in mid-March.
About 200 residences in the area, along and south of East Gambier Street, will be impacted by the project.
The utility has scheduled a virtual meeting to address residents’ questions and concerns.
The new gas pipelines, part of the Columbia Gas Roundhouse Project, will replace the main natural gas line and service lines connecting homes and businesses to the Columbia Gas system.
The utility will schedule appointments with property owners to connect the new service lines.
The project may entail some evening and weekend work by the utility’s contractor, Global Energy Partners.
The project’s footprint is bordered by East Gambier Street on the north; Quarry Street on the east; South, Pennsylvania and Howard streets on the south; and Wilson Avenue and Harnwell Street to the west.
Columbia Gas noted that the pipeline will cause some short-term disruptions to the neighborhood, from occasional gas outages of two to four hours to the digging up of yards, sidewalks and streets.
Indoor gas meters will also be relocated as part of the project. The utility stressed that workers will repair or replace any sidewalks, driveways and landscaping disturbed by the work.
“Pre-construction work is just under way. During this phase, residents may notice markers and flags popping up in yards,” said Ben Cutler, public affairs manager for Columbia Gas of Ohio.
“Those are to mark the locations of underground facilities.”
He went on to request that residents leave the markers and flags in place until the work is complete.
“As for traffic, please expect some congestion in our work zones, but flaggers will be on hand to get all motorists through safely,” Cutler said. “Further, crews will not block residents in their driveways.”
Columbia Gas asks that residents contact Cutler at 216-215-4103 to share information about buried sprinkler or septic systems, invisible fences or cisterns, or to discuss other concerns about the pipeline project.
Residents can also attend a virtual meeting on the project on Thursday, March 14 at 7
p.m. by visiting https://shorturl.at/bpsEO, or calling 213-514-7050 with an access code of 688 22072#.
Those utilizing the weblink may need to download Microsoft Teams. To view a short video on pipeline replacement projects, visit https://vimeo.com/481327238.