Columbia Gas of Ohio to start work on new natural gas pipeline on W. 130th Street

BRUNSWICK — Columbia Gas of Ohio is beginning work on a new natural gas pipeline on West 130th Street that will affect residents of Brunswick, Hinckley Township and North Royalton. Columbia Gas of Ohio Public Affairs Manager Ben Cutler gave an update on the project to Brunswick City Council on Monday. The new system will be constructed between Marland Drive and Boston Road on West 130th Street. He said there will be above-ground infrastructure on Marland Drive and Crestview Drive in Hinckley Township only. This week there will be small maintenance of traffic impacts, and next week the installation phase of the project is intended to begin, Cutler said. It will last approximately four months, and crews will be working 10 hours a day for six days a week. There will be rolling work zones in 500-foot increments, he said. In these sections, one lane of West 130th Street will be closed, and there will be flaggers. Rather than start at the northern or southern section of the project, construction will begin at Crestview Elementary School, which is a part of the Brunswick Schools district. Cutler said the goal is to get as much work done in that area before school starts again on Aug. 23, and then learn and work around the school's peak times and bus schedule. "If we can clear even 1,000 feet or 2,000 feet in front of the school, that opens up parent pickup and drop-off," he said. Columbia Gas will pave both sides of the road within the project's bounds, Cutler said. The plan is to do so before the asphalt plants close in the winter, but if that is not possible, the road can be temporarily restored and maintained throughout the winter and paved in the spring. Columbia Gas is building a new system because the upstream supplier is taking the current line in the area out of service, he said. In February, the use of the line will be changed, so a new system is intended to be in place before then to continue service to residents on cold winter days. "What we're really talking about is the really cold temperature days when our system is really stressed and really taxed," Cutler said. "(When it is) primarily under 10 degrees, but obviously those are the days that we really need our gas, and we need our heat. If we don't build a supplemental system, for days that are under 10 degrees, those 2,400 residents may not have reliable gas." Contact reporter Madisyn Woodring at (330) 721-4049 or mwoodring@medina-gazette.com.