Ameren Illinois has announced a $1.5-million project to replace vintage steel pipeline and natural gas services with modern, corrosion-resistant polyethylene material.
Ameren spokesperson Brian Bretsch says crews will begin work in April.
“We will spend roughly 2 months in the village replacing not only the pipeline that goes from neighborhood to neighborhood but also be coming up into customer yards and going up to their meters. So not only are we replacing the pipeline, we are replacing the individual customer services in the village.”
Director of Southern Gas Operations Brad Kloeppel says the proactive steps will ensure the continued safe, reliable delivery of natural gas today while preparing the company to meet the future needs of their natural gas customers. He notes many customers think of Ameren Illinois as an electric company, but they also provide very reliable natural gas service to Centralia and surrounding communities. Ameren has 14 full-time natural gas employees in the Centralia Operating Center who maintain the system, respond to gas leaks free of charge, 24/7; install new services, and perform construction projects.
Ameren Illinois is asking motorists driving through the local neighborhoods to be mindful of the construction activity and slow down in the work zones. A brief interruption of natural gas service will also be required before the work is completed to switch individual services over to their new services.
