Infrastructure improvement starts this month

Columbia Gas of Ohio will start a gas line improvement project in Ironton and will have an open house to discuss it.

The work will begin this month and will affect about 160 customers. This is the second phase of gas line infrastructure upgrades in the city, and the work area is roughly bounded by Vine Street on the north, Sixth Street on the west, Ashtabula Street on the south and Eighth Street on the east.

The open house will be at 6 p.m. on Wednesday, April 25 at the Ironton High School Cafeteria, 1701 South Seventh Street.

As part of the project, contractors will work street by street to install new main lines and service lines up to each customer’s home or building. Gas service will not be impacted until it is time to connect the customer to the new gas system at their meter.

For most customers, gas service will be interrupted for approximately two to four hours. Customers will get advance notice of this service interruption.  If the gas meter is currently inside, it will be moved outside.

Once this work is complete, customers will have a gas system with state-of-the-art safety features.

Sidewalks, driveways, lawns and landscaping that is be disturbed during gas line replacement will be restored to its original condition by Columbia Gas. The work and clean-up are expected to be completed by fall.

Columbia Gas of Ohio has invested more than $1.5 billion in communities around the state to replace aging gas lines over the last decade. The company said this is paying off in safety, with the number of leaks reduced by 40 percent.

Residents can contact Luka Papalko, external affairs specialist for Columbia Gas of Ohio, with questions or concerns at 614-420-1376 or lpapalko@nisource.com.