Gas Line Project Expected to Cause Traffic Delays for Months

Columbia Gas will soon replace its main service line along McMurray Road. The project is expected to cause some major traffic delays.

The $3.5 million pipeline improvement project will begin in early April and is not expected to be completed until November.

The company will replace approximately 18,000 feet of existing steel pipe with state-of-the-art plastic pipe.

Work will span from the cloverleaf at McMurray Road and Route 19 and continue along McMurray Road through Bethel Park to the Peters Township boundary line, which is Hays Road.

A portion of secondary roads will also be affected to some extent, including Bethel Church, Drake, Johnston, Southridge and Clifton Roads.

Construction will be restricted from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m., Monday through Friday. Traffic will be restricted to one lane, with flaggers at the limits of work during the working hours.

About 140 customers will experience temporary interruption of natural gas service while their service is connected to the new gas main. Columbia Gas will be reaching out to those customers this week.

In addition, Columbia Gas will install Automated Meter Reading (AMR) devices on the customers' meters. When the AMR devices are deployed, they will enable the company to obtain actual meter readings every month, virtually eliminating the current practice of every-other-month estimated meter readings and reducing the need for customers to make arrangements to allow meter readers inside homes.

"Our focus is to provide customers with safe and reliable gas service," Columbia Gas spokesperson Tom Cuddy said. "We thank residents and businesses for their patience."