The temporary lane closures at Louise Avenue and Harlan Road will remain in place for a least another week.
Earlier this month PG&E began the project of installing a new gas line that will serve the portion of the community where growth is expected to be focused in the coming years – augmenting their existing deliver system by adding the line which will boost capacity and improve the overall efficiency of the existing delivery system.
According to the San Francisco-based power giant, the project is part of an ongoing process of identifying ways to improve their existing gas delivery network and to meet the future demand that comes along with growth and development. No existing gas lines will be removed as part of the project. According to a PG&E spokesperson who addressed the council and answered questions, the new line will be pressure tested far above what will be put through it during normal use to prevent any sort of disaster or catastrophe from taking place.
The explanation of the pressure testing came after Vice Mayor Paul Akinjo asked the representative specifically what would be done to prevent a tragedy like the one that occurred in San Bruno in 2010 – prompting PG&E Government Relations Representative Dylan George to detail the plans the company has to ensure that safety remains a top priority moving forward.
While a portion of Louise Avenue where it intersects with Harlan Road – one of the busiest intersections in the community – is being dug up to lay the new pipe, the cost of the project will be picked up entirely by the company.
Construction, which began on March 5, is expected to continue until April 5 and will culminate after the new section passes all of its relevant testing and certification. Work will take place between the hours of 7 p.m. and 5 a.m. – to minimize the impacts on daytime traffic – and will periodically include traffic controls when the work calls for it. Access to businesses on both Louise Avenue and Harlan Road will continue to remain open at all times. 
During the construction period, traffic on Louise Avenue could be narrowed to one lane in each direction to allow crews the opportunity to perform the necessary work. Once the pipeline section is certified and the roadway is repaired, that section of pipe may not need to be touched again for decades according to the company, which says it is in the process of identifying other aging sections of natural gas pipe in the community for inspection and possible replacement as part of their ongoing commitment to ensuring customer safety.

To contact reporter Jason Campbell email jcampbell@mantecabulletin.com or call 209.249.3544.