UGI Utilities, Inc. will begin a natural gas main replacement project in the City of Pottsville beginning Monday, May 4. This project is part of the Company’s multi-year $1.2 billion infrastructure betterment initiative. The focus of this initiative is to replace cast iron and unprotected steel pipelines with facilities made of contemporary materials.
The Pottsville project will take place on Norwegian Street, beginning at the 500 block and end at the 1600 block. The project will also impact intersections on 5th Street, 8th Street, 11th Street, 13th Street, and 16thStreet. Construction is expected to last through the end of October.
Natural gas main replacement construction is scheduled to be performed from 7:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m., Monday through Friday, weather permitting. UGI will work on a block-by-block basis, with the construction zone closed to traffic during work hours. Motorists will need to find alternate routes around construction.
Gas service line and meter work to individual homes and businesses will also be performed during the project. UGI will require access to buildings along the route to complete of the project.
“UGI recognizes that some residents will be inconvenienced during this project. We will work to complete the construction project in a timely manner,” Robert P. Krieger, vice president of operations, said. “This project is part of UGI’s continuing commitment to provide safe and reliable natural gas service to our customers and our communities and we appreciate our customers’ and the community’s understanding as we make this long-term system improvement. We appreciate Pottsville’s cooperation and assistance in planning and executing this effort.”
More than 87 percent of UGI’s 12,000 miles of gas pipelines are currently constructed of contemporary materials. UGI’s 2015 infrastructure betterment plan calls for the Company to spend approximately $85 million to replace approximately 62 miles of cast iron and bare steel mains, in addition to completing a variety of system enhancement projects. The Pottsville project will replace 4,600 feet of cast iron pipe with high-density plastic.
This construction project in Pottsville also provides an opportunity for homes and businesses without natural gas service to convert to natural gas. Homeowners who convert can save more than $1,000 per year in energy bills. UGI encourages those along the project route to contact the company at (800) 652-0550 if they are interested in converting to natural gas during construction.
UGI is a natural gas and electric utility company that serves approximately 670,000 customers. Additional information concerning UGI’s infrastructure betterment program is available at www.ugi.com/construction. General information about UGI Utilities is available at www.ugi.com on Facebook at www.facebook.com/ugiutilities or Twitter: www.twitter.com/ugi_utilities.
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Information posted from UGI Press Release
