Columbia Gas starts south-side pipeline upgrades in Mount Vernon

Columbia Gas has notified property owners on the south side of the city of Mount Vernon that its contractor, Global Energy Partners, has begun preconstruction work on a pair of pipeline replacement projects.

In the first project, crews will install about 9,275 feet of new plastic pipe serving roughly 220 properties on Martinsburg Road, North and South Concord Street, Concord Court, Concord Boulevard, Pine Street, Riley Street, Spruce Street, Delano Street, Parrott Street, Pheasant Street, and a small portion of Newark Road.

In the second project, crews will install about 2,220 feet of pipe serving roughly 36 properties along Parrott Street between Martinsburg Road and Newark Road. The projects are necessary to improve existing infrastructure and strengthen the local natural gas delivery system in the area.

Preconstruction work is currently under way. During this phase, residents may notice markers and flags appearing in yards that mark the locations of underground facilities. Columbia Gas asks that residents keep the markers and flags in place until work is complete.

Installation of the new mainline will begin in late October, and once it’s put into service crews will follow up with service line replacements for individual homes. These will take about two to four hours per property and include a brief service disconnection. Indoor meters will be relocated outside as well. Global Energy Partners personnel will reach out to schedule an appointment with property owners for shutoff, relight, and meter relocation if necessary.

Service line replacements will not take place until early 2026, and will not occur on exceptionally cold days. Crews will temporarily restore all property to ensure safety and accessibility and then follow up with permanent grade restoration as the project nears completion. Some of the permanent restoration may not occur until the weather breaks next spring.

Columbia Gas advises that there could be some traffic congestion in the work zones. Flaggers will be on hand to get motorists through safely. Crews will not block residents in their driveways.

Columbia Gas has scheduled a virtual public meeting on the two projects, on Oct. 21 from 6-6:30 p.m. The web link is https://tinyurl.com/3yw7k4uy. The phone number is 213-514-7050, and the access code is 521 912 179. For further questions and concerns, contact Kathryn Rozsa, Columbia Gas public affairs specialist, at 216-695-9214 or Krozsa@nisource.com.