Merrimack Valley gas restoration schedule pushed back
Restoring gas service to the homes impacted by the explosions in Merrimack Valley, Mass., will take a little longer than expected, officials from Columbia Gas announced last week.
Initially, Columbia Gas, which provided gas service to the region, targeted Nov. 19 as the date to have gas service restored. But now, officials say that the timeline has been pushed back a few weeks for some of the customers. Now the target date to have all gas service restored is between Dec. 2 and Dec. 16.
The gas service has been out since Sept. 13 when gas lines exploded at 38 homes in the communities of Andover, Lawrence, and North Andover, Mass. Construction crews are working to replace nearly 45 miles of main pipeline. Roughly 1400 plumbers, gas fitters, assessors, electricians, in-field management, inspectors, and linguists have been deployed to the region to accomplish this. However, in light of the situation, state officials are urging affected residents to seek alternative housing options.
“Our team is working around the clock to complete our mission of getting the affected residents’ homes with gas service and back to normalcy as quickly and safely as possible,” Joe Albanese, chief recovery officer for the Greater Lawrence restoration project, said. “The set of circumstances created by this incident is unprecedented, and as part of this contingency operation, we are dedicated to continuously improving our repair process to achieve the shared goal of restoring gas service to customers. While we regret that some people will be delayed by a couple of weeks, we will keep working diligently to relight homes and businesses safely.”
Albanese explained that due to several factors, repairs have fallen behind schedule. Time spent in each house has exceeded original forecasts, in part due to the mitigation of hazardous materials, which include asbestos and lead paint, various code violations, and other issues. Thus, manpower will be increased and efforts as three additional contractors have been hired to do the work. Emphasis will be placed on the repair or replacement of boilers and furnaces so that residents can be relit and return to their homes with heat and hot water.
“Our company is 100 percent committed to the communities of Lawrence, Andover, and North Andover,” Pablo Vegas, chief restoration officer at Columbia Gas, said. “We understand this has been a frustrating process for many. The patience and resilience of this community is inspiring, and we will work day and night to restore and regain our customers’ trust in us.”
Columbia Gas has increased its communications efforts to keep residents informed. The company has produced an interactive map to reflect the updated “house ready” schedule range. A weekly newsletter is also being sent to affected residents with updates on construction and available resources.
“Since the explosions on September 13th, daily life for thousands of people in the Merrimack Valley has been uprooted, inconvenienced and for some, changed indefinitely,” Massachusetts Gov. Charlie Baker said. “Our administration will keep supporting this team and providing additional resources to affected residents to ensure the repair process moves safely and quickly. Adjusting the timeline accordingly and realigning resources is critical to helping residents plan for the upcoming weeks, and we continue to urge residents to seek alternative housing to ensure their safety and provide more comfort. Our administration fully expects Columbia Gas to improve communications with customers to provide accurate information on their “house ready” progress as colder temperatures set in.”
