CenterPoint Energy to Begin Utility Reconstruction Monday

CenterPoint Energy crews recently began the task of replacing and rehabilitating steel piping that supplies natural gas to thousands of homes and businesses in the metropolitan area.

On Monday, work begins in Southwest Minneapolis.

According to the CenterPoint Energy website, crews will start replacing approximately 1,800 feet of distribution pipe between 47th and 50th streets on Upton Avenue in Linden Hills on April 8. Winter Street NE in Northeast Minneapolis will also start construction Monday.

In addition, about 5,700 feet of 8-inch cast iron and bare steel distribution pipe needs to be replaced between 50th Street West and Highway 62 on Penn Avenue South. Approximately 150 service lines in this area also need to be rehabed. Work on this road is expected to begin April 15.

The CenterPoint project is being done in conjunction with the City of Minneapolis' street renovation project.

The following is more information on the project, according to CenterPoint's website:

Why is construction necessary?

The constructions projects are needed to help increase reliability and safety and are considered standard maintenance and upkeep of our system. There is no charge to you for our work during this construction project. CenterPoint Energy routinely conducts systematic pipeline replacement and upgrades.

What should I expect?

CenterPoint Energy is accelerating schedules for pipeline construction and upgrade projects in the communities we serve. The new upgrades are designed to facilitate a cost-effective, ongoing inspection process required for all natural gas transmission pipelines.

Over the next few weeks, you will see CenterPoint Energy and our contractor, Minnesota Limited Inc., working on the pipeline in your neighborhood. The amount of time that construction will take place on any individual property will vary depending on the size of the property and the specific construction obstacles encountered. Construction activities will include: grading (land slope adjustment), excavation of a trench, welding and installation of the pipe, backfilling of the trench with soil and final restoration of the disturbed area with top soil and seed, or asphalt as needed.

Once the pipeline is in the ground, it will be marked at road and water crossings by a pipeline marker. The markers display the material transported in the line, the name of the pipeline operator, and a telephone number where the operator can be reached in the event of an emergency.

CenterPoint Energy understands that construction activity of this sort can be an inconvenience to people living and working in the area, so we greatly appreciate your patience and understanding as we work to complete the project as safely as possible in a reasonable time frame.

The multi-year project will eventually replace roughly 80 miles of 20-inch and 24-inch steel pipe, according to CenterPoint. Another Southwest Minneapolis construction site includes just north of 57th Street to Highway 62 on Lyndale Avenue South, however, no start date has been given. This also includes the replacement of a short section of distribution pipe on 58th Street West.

For more information on CenterPoint Energy's construction project, go to centerpointenergy.com/community/inthecommunity/constructionzone/MN. Project maps for the Southwest Minneapolis sites have been added to this article as PDFs.

CenterPoint's letter to affected Linden Hills residents is also attached as a PDF.

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