Ameren completes gas line relocation

Ameren Illinois recently completed a project on Grand Avenue to relocate 3,000 feet of gas main and associated gas services in conjunction with work the city is doing on the street.

In May, the Edwardsville City Council approved a $1,092,892 contract with Kamadulski Excavating and Grading Inc. for the complete reconstruction of the street, asphalt paving, curb and gutter repairs, storm sewer repairs, sidewalk construction, and a replacement of a water main for a portion of the street.

Because of the location of the gas lines and a larger $3.5 billion project by Ameren Illinois for energy infrastructure upgrades throughout the region, the gas lines had to be relocated.

For this particular project we are working with the city of Edwardsville to widen the road in order to accommodate their new storm sewer and water line project. So, some of our services were underneath the road and that would cause all types of problems on both ends, Marcelyn Love, spokeswoman for Ameren Illinois, said. Also on a larger scale, this is a part of a larger infrastructure improvement that we are doing throughout our territory over the next few years to build a next-generation energy delivery system.

For the work on Grand Avenue, the upgrades included the installation of plastic pipe, which is less prone to leakage making it more reliable and safer.

Love said these changes are aimed at ensuring more reliable service.

Since plastic pipe was used, Love said different equipment could be used to install the lines resulting in less damage to yards.

Instead of cutting trenches to install the pipe, workers use a boring machine and then string it through the hole under the ground.

Other benefits to this new way of installing the lines are that Ameren is able to map out other buried utilities and avoid them.

This is really beneficial not only to the residents, but to us as well, Love said. Before they would have to trench the entire way down. This way is a lot less invasive and allows them to string that pipe along for longer distances and allows them to save a lot of manpower as well."

See more here:
Ameren completes gas line relocation