Edina - Blake Road 2021 Belt Line Project
Scheduled Start Date: March 22, 2021Project Resources: CenterPoint Energy and the City of Edina will host a virtual meeting
Thank you to all who joined us on Thursday, February 25! CenterPoint Energy and the City of Edina hosted a virtual Microsoft Teams meeting with a short presentation and a Q&A session that answered questions about the project. Below is a copy of the PowerPoint presentation:
What will CenterPoint Energy be doing?
From March 22 to June 2021, CenterPoint Energy’s authorized contractors will work in Edina along Blake Road S. from South Knoll Drive to Lake Ridge Road and along Idylwood Lane from Schafer Road to Blake Road S. This project will happen in four phases:
- Phase 1: Michels Corporation will replace the first of the project’s two natural gas mains. This main will feed the natural gas service lines to homes and businesses. This phase will happen on the east side of Blake Road S. from South Knoll Drive to just north of Scriver Road and on Idylwood Lane from Schafer Road to Blake Road S.
- Phase 2: Michels Corporation will connect the service lines to the new Phase 1 gas main. This phase will happen on Blake Road S. from South Knoll Drive to just north of Scriver Road.
- Phase 3: CenterPoint Energy’s authorized contractor will replace the second gas main. This phase will happen on the east side of Blake Road S. from from Lake Ridge Road to Parkwood Road on the west side of Blake Road S. from Parkwood Drive to South Knoll Drive.
- Phase 4: Q3 Contracting will restore the areas affected by work on the natural gas lines outside the limits of the City of Edina’s Mill and Overlay project.
What are the traffic impacts?
Our Project Updates page (see above) will be updated weekly during construction.
- For Phase 1, crews will alternate traffic impacts. (Please see the March 17 update on our Project Updates page for more details.) For approximately one month beginning March 22, the crews will close Blake Road S. to through traffic, working south from Lake Ridge Road to Idylwood Drive. After that, the crews will close one lane on Blake Road S. and open the other while the crews will directionally drill the new main.
- For Phase 2, crews may have to dig in the ground on your property in the utility easement and next to your home to complete the task of service line replacement. If your meter is in the inside of your home, the crews will schedule an appointment with you to move it outside.
- For Phase 3, the crews will close Blake Road S. a few blocks at a time in order to make room for the open trench installation. This will take place in the road and not the boulevards or lawns. Restoration of the road will follow closely behind the pipe installation crew. Detours will direct through traffic to Interlachen Boulevard and Vernon Avenue S. Residential traffic will be maintained with some minor detours around the work area.
The crews will be on site, assisting residents with access during construction. They will notify customers once they are going to be working in front of their home.
What is CenterPoint Energy’s COVID-19 protocol?
According to
the Governor of Minnesota’s order, gas main replacement is an essential work function. This allows for the modernization of related gas facilities. The gas main work requires excavations in various locations in the right-of-way (front yard) to facilitate the installation work.
As social distancing practices and proper use of PPE, face masks and gloves have become normalized and as customers are willing to allow properly protected personnel into their homes to complete required work to modernize gas facilities, which is essential work, CenterPoint Energy authorized contractors will enter customer homes to complete work only with customer permission.
The purpose of this flyer is to advise that with customer permission, crews will now enter homes to complete necessary gas meter work. If you choose not to allow crews to enter your home, gas service will not be interrupted, and we will reschedule for a time better suited to concerns you may have. Crews will continue to replace service lines. Crews may have to dig in the ground on your property in the utility easement and next to your home to complete the task of service line replacement.
