Minneapolis - 17th Avenue S. from 38th Street E. to Minnehaha Parkway E. - Project Updates

CenterPoint Energy’s authorized contractors anticipate finishing the project’s 2022 portion before Christmas.

The intersection of 17th Avenue S. and 43rd Street E. is scheduled to reopen on Thursday, December 8. By then, Q3 Contracting will have finished restoring the area. Minnesota Limited finished their work on a regulator post within the intersection’s boulevard.

On Monday, December 12, Minnesota Limited will close the intersection of 14th Avenue S. and 39th Street E. to install a regulator vault within the intersection’s boulevard. This closure is scheduled to last in the weeks of December 12 and 19. This closure’s timeline includes the restoration and reopening of the intersection.

During this time, parking will be restricted near the closure. Entrances to alleys, driveways, and parking lots will remain open. The sidewalk will be closed in the intersection’s northwestern corner.

Because of weather, Q3 Contracting will put down winter restoration on the areas affected by Minnesota Limited’s work. This includes temporary asphalt on areas that were previously concrete and hydroseed, hydromulch, or straw blankets on any affected boulevards. In spring 2023, the crew will return for permanent restoration. This includes concrete on sidewalks and black dirt and grass seed on boulevards.

This year, CenterPoint Energy’s authorized contractors, Michels Corporation and Minnesota Limited, replaced natural gas lines on 17th Avenue S. from Minnehaha Parkway E. to 38th Street E. These lines are activated with natural gas. A crew from Minnesota Limited is returning to the project site to install a regulator post and a regulator vault. The post will be at 17th Avenue S. and 43rd Street E. The vault will be at 14th Avenue S. and 39th Street E. Both regulators will be located within the boulevard.

From Monday, November 28 to approximately Friday, December 9, the crew will close the intersection of 17th Avenue S. and 43rd Street E. From Monday, December 5 to approximately Friday, December 16, the crew plans to close the intersection of 14th Avenue S. and 39th Street E. When each intersection is closed, detour signs will lead through traffic to the next block over. Driveways will remain open. Some sidewalks will be closed at the intersections. Parking will be closed in these areas.

Because of weather, Q3 Contracting, CenterPoint Energy’s authorized contractor, will put down winter restoration on the areas affected by Minnesota Limited’s work. This includes temporary asphalt on areas that were previously concrete and hydroseed, hydromulch, or straw blankets on any affected boulevards. In spring 2023, the crew will return for permanent restoration.

Today on Thursday, October 13, the crew from Minnesota Limited, CenterPoint Energy’s authorized contractor, has opened the intersection of 38th Street E. and 17th Avenue S. By the end of the day tomorrow, the only streets to have traffic control barriers on 17th Avenue S. are between 37th and 38th Streets E., between 39th and 40th Streets E., and between 42nd and 44th Streets E. No intersections are or will be closed.

The crew put all the project’s natural gas steel main in the ground. On Monday, October 17, the crew will finish the natural gas work. This includes connecting the new main to the existing intersecting main. For the rest of that week, restoration and paving will happen. Traffic control barriers are expected to be removed from the project’s route by Friday, October 21. We appreciate your patience.

A crew from Minnesota Limited, CenterPoint Energy’s authorized contractor, has closed 17th Avenue S. from 38th to 46th Streets E. They removed the traffic control barriers from 17th Avenue S. from 46th Street E. to Minnehaha Parkway.

On Wednesday, September 21, the crew will close 42nd Street E. at 17th Avenue S. By then, the crew will have opened the closure of 43rd Street E. at 17th Avenue S.

Last week, the City of Minneapolis paved 17th Avenue S. from 44th to 46th Streets E.

This week, one crew removed the existing main to the south side of 45th Street E., while another crew put in the new main to the south side of 46th Street E. They reopened the intersection of 47th Street E. and 17th Avenue S.

As a reminder, from Tuesday, September 6, to Thursday, September 8, the intersection of 46th Street E. and 17th Avenue S. will be closed. On Thursday, September 8, paving is scheduled on 17th Avenue S. from the north side of Minnehaha Parkway E. through 46th Street E. On Friday, September 9, 46th Street E. will be reopened, and the intersection of 45th Street E. and 17th Avenue S. will be closed.

On Wednesday, August 24, the crew closed 17th Avenue S. from Minnehaha Parkway to 43rd Street E. During this time, the sidewalks will remain open.

By tomorrow morning on Friday, August 25, 17th Avenue S. will be opened from 37th to 38th Streets E. and at the intersection of 39th Street E.

On Friday, August 26, the curb will be restored on Minnehaha Parkway, followed by paving on Monday, August 29. The bike and walking path at Minnehaha Parkway and 17th Avenue S. will be closed with a detour in place.

On Tuesday, August 30, Minnehaha Parkway and the bike and walking path on Minnehaha Parkway will be reopened. On that same day, the intersection of 47th Street E. and 17th Avenue S. will be closed until Thursday, September 8. On that day, the crew will have paved 17th Avenue S. from the north side of Minnehaha Parkway E. through 47th Street E.

From Tuesday, September 6 to Thursday, September 8, the intersection of 46th Street E. and 17th Avenue S. will be closed.

From spring to fall 2022, CenterPoint Energy’s authorized contractors have been and will continue to replace natural gas lines and restore the affected areas on 17th Avenue S. from 38th Street E. to Minnehaha Parkway E. As part of the project, they will close portions of the road to accommodate the work.

From Tuesday, August 30 to Tuesday, September 6, Minnesota Limited will restrict parking on the east side of 16th Avenue S. from 47th Street E. to approximately 300 feet south. This closure will accommodate the buses for Hiawatha Academies, while the crew closes the intersection of 17th Avenue S. and 47th Street E. The restrictions are in place Monday through Friday from noon to 3:00 p.m.

We appreciate your patience and apologize for the inconvenience as we upgrade our natural gas system.

On Friday, August 26, the crew plans to reopen 17th Avenue S. from 37th to 38th Streets E. in addition to the intersection of 17th Avenue S. and 39th Street E.

On Monday, August 22, the crew will close 17th Avenue S. from Minnehaha Parkway north approximately 200 feet to stage the equipment in preparation for the main replacement.

On Wednesday, August 24, the crew will close 17th Avenue S. from Minnehaha Parkway to 43rd Street E. By Tuesday, August 30, Minnehaha Parkway will have been reopened with the pipe replacement and the road and curb restoration complete.

From mid-August into fall 2022, CenterPoint Energy’s authorized contractor, Minnesota Limited, will replace the project’s large-diameter natural gas steel main. From Tuesday, August 16 to Friday, August 26, a crew will close 17th Avenue S. from 37th to 38th Streets E. and the intersection of 17th Avenue S. and 39th Street E. They will also work in the green space south of Minnehaha Parkway and 17th Avenue S.

A crew from Michels Corporation has been connecting the project’s natural gas service lines to the new mains and moving inside meters outside. They have finished the service line and meter work from 38th to 42nd Streets E. and are currently working on the 4300 block. Parking is restricted on both sides of the road on the blocks where they are working. They anticipate working on this block for approximately the rest of May.

A crew from Q3 Contracting, CenterPoint Energy’s authorized contractor, will follow to restore the areas affected by their work. They will focus on the boulevards, lawns, and sidewalks. Any areas they will temporarily restore, such as the road, will be permanently restored after the steel main is replaced.

Another Michels Corporation crew will replace the project’s second main, which is large-diameter steel. They plan to replace it from July to mid-fall. More information will be provided closer to that portion of the project’s timeline.

From Saturday, April 23 to Tuesday, April 26, the crew from Michels Corporation, CenterPoint Energy’s authorized contractor, will replace the natural gas main under the south sidewalk of 43rd Street E. from 16th to 18th Avenues S. Two-way traffic will be maintained on 17th Avenue S. The working hours on Saturday are between 7:00 a.m. and 5:00 p.m.

From Thursday, April 21 to Friday, April 29 or Monday, May 2, the crew will replace the main under the east sidewalk of 17th Avenue S. from 44th Street E. to Minnehaha Parkway. Parking on the east side of 17th Avenue S. will begin to be restricted from 44th to 46th Streets E. starting Thursday, April 21, and from 46th Street E. to Minnehaha Parkway starting Monday, April 25.

On Monday, April 25, another Michels Corporation crew will begin connecting the service lines to the new main and moving inside meters outside. They will begin at 38th Street E. on 17th Avenue S.

A crew from Michels Corporation, CenterPoint Energy’s authorized contractor, replaced the natural gas main under the east sidewalk of 17th Avenue S. from 38th to 40th Streets E. They anticipate replacing the main on two blocks per week. In the week of April 11, they plan to replace the main from 40th to 42nd Streets E.

Where the crews are working, they are closing the east sidewalk and parking on the east side of 17th Avenue S. They will move their no parking signs as they progress. In excavated sidewalk panels, they will either backfill or place traffic cones before the next Michels Corporation crew comes to connect the service lines to the new main.

A crew began replacing the natural gas main under the east sidewalk of 17th Avenue S. from 38th to 40th Streets E. They anticipate replacing the main on two blocks per week. Where the crews are working, they are closing the east sidewalk and parking on the east side of 17th Avenue S. They will move their no parking signs as they progress. In excavated sidewalk panels, they will either backfill or place traffic cones before the next Michels Corporation crew comes to connect the service lines to the new main. More information will be provided closer to that portion of the crew’s work.

From Monday, April 4 to fall 2022, CenterPoint Energy’s authorized contractors will work in Minneapolis along 17th Avenue S. between 38th Street E. and Minnehaha Parkway E. While Michels Corporation will replace two natural gas mains, connect the natural gas service lines to the first of the new mains, and move any inside residential meters outside, Q3 Contracting will restore the areas affected by Michels Corporation’s work.

The first natural gas main is small-diameter plastic that is typically bored underground. The second main is large-diameter steel. Since the crews weld the pieces of the pipe together, the steel main replacement requires open excavation and takes longer to install than the small-diameter plastic main. Time spent on each block will vary due to the size of the block, the steel offsets, the restoration preparation, and the weather. Restoration will follow the steel main work.

There will be four separate crews, one for each phase of the project. Each crew plans to set up their own traffic plan and parking restrictions, removing their signs when their work is done. This may happen before another crew sets up their own traffic signs. Our website will be updated on the crews’ progress.

Phases 1, 2, and 4: During the replacement of the first main, the service line connections and meter work, and the restoration, the crews will set up lane shifts, parking restrictions, and a sidewalk closure on the east side of 17th Avenue S.

Phase 3: As the crews work on a few blocks at a time, they plan to close these blocks to through traffic. Parking on the road will be restricted in areas of active construction. Flaggers may be on site to help traffic flow. The crews will help residents maintain access. Access to the alleys will remain open. The crews plan to close the eastern sidewalk along 17th Avenue S.

We apologize for the inconvenience as we upgrade our natural gas lines. We hope to make the construction process run smoothly and efficiently.

The construction crews and personnel will continue to use the Covid-19 Customer Permission Flyer, which requests customer permission prior to entering homes. Personnel, contractors and CenterPoint Energy employees will continue to practice CDC guidelines regarding social distancing, sanitary practices and wearing face masks when entering customer homes.

The customer will receive a CenterPoint Energy postcard in the mail typically within one or two weeks prior to the day when the Michels Corporation crews will perform the work. The crews will have CenterPoint Energy-authorized photo IDs stating that they are employees of Michels Corporation.

After the customer receives the postcard, the foreman will arrive at the customer’s house to schedule an appointment that typically meets with the customer’s schedule. If the customer isn’t home when they arrives, he will leave a door tag with his contact information to schedule an appointment with him.

Customers are advised to set aside a two- to four-hour time frame for the inside-to-outside gas meter move. They are also advised to mark their privately-installed utilities such as dog fences or sprinklers. Marking can be accomplished with tools such as spray paint or utility flags. The foreman will access the natural gas meter inside the house, move the meter outside, and relight the natural gas appliance pilot lights after the new meter has been relocated.

Customers with outside meters will be notified prior to the replacement or connection of the service lines to the new mains. Areas affected by our work will be restored to their original condition.

On the soft surfaces such as boulevards and lawns, various erosion control measures keep the restored area moist, hold seed in the soil, and enhance seed germination. If an erosion blanket is needed it is secured in place with staples. The mesh is a wood fiber that will completely degrade. Prior to mowing the restored area, remove any loose staples that secured the blanket.