Gas line project to start this summer at airport
Site preparation work for a natural gas line replacement project, which is the first phase of a runway extension project at Joseph A. Hardy Connellsville Airport, should take place this summer, an airport engineering consultant said. Permits from the Fayette Conservation District and the state Department of Environmental Protection are needed to clear a 2- to 3-acre area for the gas line project, said William S. Shiderly of Michael Baker Jr. Inc. of Moon Township, a Fayette County Airport Authority consultant.
At Tuesday’s authority meeting, Shiderly said the area will be cleared of vegetation and rocks so work on the pipelines can begin in July or August.
John Lightner, also of Michael Baker Jr. Inc., said the site preparation work will be advertised in the spring, bids will be opened in May and the work would be completed in June.
The pipeline relocation will begin by the end of July or early August and be finished in October, Lightner said. The runway extension project would begin next spring.
The authority has agreed to pay all costs for the Houston, Texas-based Spectra Energy, formerly Duke Energy, to replace its three 30- to 36-inch gas lines, which are under the runway, with heavier gauge lines so they can withstand the weight of airplane traffic.
Lightner said he spoke with Spectra officials just prior to Tuesday’s meeting and was told that the company plans to advertise for project bids in about a week.
He said Spectra also reported that it expects pipe prices to be slightly lower than anticipated, but construction costs would be slight more than anticipated.
After the new lines are installed, plans call for extending the 3,832-foot main runway to 4,500 feet so it can accommodate larger planes.
Currently, 3,458 feet of the runway is useable because of the location of the gas lines.
The entire project will cost an estimated $6.5 million and the authority already has reimbursed Spectra $2.1 million for initial work.
The authority has received more than $2.2 million in federal and state grants for the project.