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Natural Gas Pipeline To Be Installed Along Hwy 29, Not In Century Residential Neighborhoods
March 16, 2018
A company installing a natural gas pipeline has abandoned plans take a path through a Century residential neighborhood.
Instead, Florida Public Utilities (FPU) will install the pipeline under sidewalks along Highway 29 under a new agreement reached with the Florida Department of Transportation (FDOT).
“FDOT just approved a new plan this afternoon,” Barry Kennedy, director of gas operations for FPU, told NorthEscambia.com Thursday afternoon. “We will be using Highway 29 after they agreed we could go under the sidewalks and our hours were extended.”
FDOT will allow the company to work 5 pm. to 5 a.m. to bore and place the pipeline under the sidewalks on the east side of Highway 29 south from East Highway 4. There will be minimal lane closures, Barry said, with work expected to last about six weeks.
FDOT previously approved plans to run the pipeline along Highway 29 through Century, but new restrictions were imposed. FDOT specified that the gas pipeline be placed underneath the outer northbound lane of Highway 29, and work would only be allowed during the night and overnight hours. The job would require digging large holes in Highway 29 every 1,000 to 1,500 feet in order to bore the pipe under the roadway. It was estimated that the process would take about three months.
FPU then switched plans, looking to bury the pipeline aong Jefferson Avenue and Salters Lake Road within an estimated two week time frame. But that idea raise the ire of local residents along Jefferson Avenue in Century as they expressed concerns over property values, damage to their property and safety.
Pipes that were preliminarily placed along Salters Lake Road, but not buried, will be removed.
The Town of Century held a public meeting last week with concerned residents and FPU, and schedule another meeting for Thursday, March 16 — but that meeting was canceled Thursday afternoon after the new agreement was reached with FDOT.
Florida Public Utilities is constructing the pipeline along a 42-mile route through North Escambia from Century to Nine Mile Road. The pipeline continues south from Century along Highway 29 right of way from Century to Old Chemstrand Road. From there, an eight-inch line will follow Old Chemstrand Road to Ascend, while another eight-inch line will continue south on Highway 29 to Highway 95A in Cantonment to West Roberts Road to Pine Forest Road to West Nine Mile Road where the project will connect to an existing gas system.
Florida Public Utilities is a private company, not a government agency.
NorthEscambia.com photos, click to enlarge.
Comments
6 Responses to “Natural Gas Pipeline To Be Installed Along Hwy 29, Not In Century Residential Neighborhoods”
The south end of century is residential but I do know most of the time pipeline companies leave the area looking better when they finish then what it looked like at the start. But for everyone against the gas line if you have city gas service then you should get it out of your yard because it down grades your property.
The Future Land Use along Highway 29 for the most part is not residential. The Century municode says :
Sec. 2. – [Erection of poles and construction of underground conduits, costs.]
“The work of erecting poles and constructing underground conduits under this ordinance shall be done subject to the supervision of the town, and the company shall replace or properly relay and repair any sidewalk or street that may be displaced by reason of such work, and upon failure of the company so to do, after twenty days notice in writing given by the mayor of the town to the company, the town may repair such portion of the sidewalk or street that may have been disturbed by the company, and collect the cost so incurred from the company. ”
But yes sewer lines installation tore in front of where I live now. Will cost 3K to repair. They were not held to do this at the time but should have. Not sure who was in charge then. Hopefully this administration will do better.
So, I guess those of us living along hwy 29 aren’t considered residents. Good luck with that leaving the sidewalks better than they find them. That was suppose to be the plan years ago when the sewer system was put in. For two years after they put the sewer system in, after a rain I would have a hole in my yard where they dug to put the sewer pipe in. It was fixed when I got tired of waiting on the city and fixed it myself at my expense.
*Public Service Commission.
Thank you to all who voiced their concerns and to the our Mayor for discouraging this project from entering our residential area.
Good news. That is the route they filed with the Published Service Commission and should be adhered to. Good for whoever held them to this. It was on file. It.may inconvenience traffic but that will pass. Now get that Alger site cleaned up. The CRA and a master plan together and that area can become a quaint revitalized area in the future, Perhaps hold the Pipe Company to making the sidewalks better than they found them.