Columbia Gas of Ohio Clintonville, Linden pipeline project to start in coming weeks
Columbia Gas of Ohio will start work in coming weeks on its project to replace a 4.2-mile chunk of a key natural gas pipeline that extends from Clintonville to North Linden.
Columbia is abandoning an existing line that runs primarily along Weber Road from Clintonville to North Linden. That line extends mostly from High Street to east of Cleveland Avenue.
In its place will be a new line that runs mostly south of the existing pipe, starting on Tulane Avenue west of High Street. The line moves east along several roads, crossing Cleveland Avenue and Joyce Avenue into Linden and finishes on Parkwood Avenue.
The exact construction schedule hasn't been determined yet, including when work will start.
Separately, Columbia says it finalized arrangement with both neighborhoods on the appearance of the areas that will house regulator stations being built as part of the project. The stations are a series of pipes and valves used to control the pressure of the gas as it moves through the Columbia system and into homes and businesses.
The company has bought four parcels of land for the project − a four-unit apartment building at 204-210 W. Weber Rd., a vacant house at 476 E. Weber Rd., and a duplex at 480-482 E. Weber Rd. in Clintonville and a vacant lot at 2552 Cleveland Ave. in Linden. Buildings on the sites will be demolished to make way for the regulator stations.
Columbia has worked with both communities to come up with designs to make the regulator stations blend in with the neighborhoods.
In Clintonville, the concern has been mostly about the appearance of the buildings down to the color of the roof, said Luka Papalko, Columbia's public affairs manager. In Linden, residents want fencing that is consistent with the rest of the neighborhood.
There also will be plantings and landscaping at both sites similar to what else is in the neighborhoods, he said.
"We've tried to prioritize what both communities want," he said.
As far as the construction timeline goes, Papalko said the company is working on final details, including whether the project will start in Clintonville or Linden or on both ends and work toward the middle.
Work on the pipeline likely will start in the next month or two, he said. Construction of the regulator stations will start after that.
"We're working with the contractor on what the timeline will look like," he said.
Columbia has been meeting with community groups about the construction schedule and will be communicating the final details once they're set, he said.
As part of the project, Columbia provided 20 trees that were planted in Clinton-Como Park this week. A similar event will happen in Linden this fall at Linden-McKinley High School, according to the company.
The trees are meant to replace those that will be cut down as part of the work, he said.
mawilliams@dispatch.com
@BizMarkWilliams
This article originally appeared on The Columbus Dispatch: Clintonville, North Linden pipeline project to start in coming weeks
