Natural Gas Line Replacements in St. Louis Park - Project Updates

As of last Thursday, January 2, CenterPoint Energy’s contractors have moved off of the St. Louis Park infrastructure project for the season. A crew will return to the project in the spring to complete service work, take the old mains out of operation, and perform permanent restoration. Updates will be provided prior to the return of construction.

CenterPoint’s traffic control has been removed. Ongoing construction activity in the area is not associated with CenterPoint Energy.

Thank you for your patience throughout the course of our infrastructure improvements. We greatly value the privilege of having you as a customer. We wish you an enjoyable winter!

CenterPoint Energy remains at work on our infrastructure improvement in St. Louis Park. It is these upgrades that allow us to provide safe and reliable service all year long.

Throughout this week, utility crews will be upgrading gas main sections at several intersections along Minnetonka Boulevard: Joppa Avenue S., Monterey Avenue S., Princeton Avenue S., and Quentin Avenue S. Construction will take a brief pause the week of December 23. We anticipate these upgrades to be complete by the end of the week of January 6.

For a short period of time, sections of the work zone will have flaggers in place to direct traffic safely around the crews. Additionally, through traffic on Monterey Avenue S. will be restricted on December 30 and 31. We apologize for any inconvenience this may cause.

Following the completion of gas main construction in early January, this project will be paused until service crews are able to come back on site in the spring. At that time, the crews will replace service lines and reconnect them to the new main as well as take the old main out of commission. Permanent restoration of all affected areas will also take place in the spring, after all service work is complete.

Today, along Minnetonka Boulevard, our utility crew is putting the new steel main into commission. This requires additional vehicles and equipment to be on sight, and the process may cause higher noise levels than have been present on the project so far. Thank you for your understanding as we complete this vital step in the infrastructure upgrade.

Work will take place primarily at the intersections of Salem Avenue S. and Minnetonka Boulevard as well as Joppa Avenue S. and Minnetonka Boulevard. The excavations done today will be backfilled by the end of the week. Asphalt restoration will occur in the area beginning next week, starting at the intersection of Raleigh Avenue S., and moving west on Minnetonka Boulevard toward Salem Avenue S.

Due to last minute changes in the steel main design, that were made to ensure safety and longevity for the mains location under the street, we are pushing back the expected completion date. We now anticipate main installation to be finished by mid-December.

On December 5, there will be an additional crew coming on site to connect the plastic mains to the new steel mains and complete any remaining plastic main work. A service crew will also join the construction in St. Louis Park, on December 9.

There are currently two crews working on Minnetonka Boulevard to complete construction efficiently.

One crew continues to replace the natural gas main along Minnetonka Boulevard, working to the west of Raleigh Avenue toward Salem Avenue. The main installation is anticipated to be complete by the end of next week, the week of November 25. At that time, a service crew will come on site to connect services to the new main.

The second crew is working on connecting existing mains to the newly completed main along Minnetonka boulevard. This will happen at most cross streets and is currently being done at the intersection of Ottawa Avenue South and Minnetonka Boulevard.

Construction crews in St. Louis Park have moved off site until after the 2024 election. The area has been tidied up in order to maintain access to polling locations. Work will continue after Tuesday, Nov. 5.

Crews from CenterPoint Energy authorized contractor, Michels Corporation, continue to work on Minnetonka Boulevard replacing a natural gas steel main. An additional crew has joined this project to increase our efficiency as we upgrade the infrastructure in St. Louis Park.

Traffic impacts in this area include a shift in traffic lanes to the north side of Minnetonka Boulevard between Lynn Avenue S. and Ottawa Avenue S. Additionally, the roads south of Minnetonka Boulevard at Monterey Avenue S. as well as at Natchez Avenue S. are currently closed. The closure at Monterey Avenue will remain until the end of this week and the closure at Natchez Avenue S. will remain through Nov 1.

Multiple other utility companies and their contractors are performing work within this same area as CenterPoint as well as maintaining traffic control of their own.

CenterPoint Energy’s authorized contractors continue to work on a steel main replacement project on Minnetonka Boulevard between Salem Avenue and Joppa Avenue South. Starting this Saturday, October 5th, 2024 work on this project will continue on Saturdays as well as during the work week. Residents and business owners should anticipate increased noise levels in the area.

During this time, parking will be restricted on both sides of Minnetonka Boulevard.

This week from Wednesday, September 18 to Friday, September 20, a crew from Michels Corporation, a CenterPoint Energy authorized contractor, will replace the natural gas main under Westwood Hills Road starting east near house #7915 and working west to the intersection, then turning south toward Utah Avenue S. There is an easement staked out through the wooded area at townhomes #1327-1323. Part of the work will be done in the easement of house #1435.

During this time, parking will be restricted on both sides of the street in this area on both Westwood Hills Road and through the wooded area out to Utah Avenue S.

From Thursday, September 12 to Friday, September 20, a crew from Michels Corporation, a CenterPoint Energy authorized contractor, plans to replace the natural gas main under Westwood Hills Curve, ending across Westwood Hills Drive. They will also be replacing the gas main on 23rd Street W. from Frontage Road 169 to Gettysburg Avenue S.

During this time, parking will be restricted on all sides of both intersections of Westwood Hills Curve and Westwood Hills Drive as well as the east side of Westwood Hills Curve. Parking will also be restricted on the north side of 23rd Street W. and the southwestern corner of 23rd Street W. and Gettysburg Avenue.

In the upcoming weeks from approximately Friday, September 6, to Friday, September 20, a crew from Michels Corporation, a CenterPoint Energy authorized contractor, will replace the natural gas main under the ground on Boone Avenue S. and Club Road, ending at Flag Avenue S. They are also going north on Cavell Avenue S., west on 24th Street W., and south on Decatur Avenue S. to meet again on Club Road. They anticipate that the main replacement on this road will take approximately two weeks. During this time, parking will be restricted on both sides of all streets listed in this area. There will be a road closure on Boone Avenue S. for a small portion going north from Club Road. There will be a sidewalk closure for about 100 feet on the northwestern corner of Club Road and Flag Avenue intersection. There will be a about a 200-foot sidewalk closure on the northeastern corner of the Boone Avenue and 25th Street W. intersection.

In the week of Tuesday, September 3, a crew from Michels, CenterPoint Energy’s authorized contractor, will replace the natural gas main under the west side road of Jordan Avenue S. and the north side road of 28th Street W. between Cedar Lake Road and the end of 28th Street W. They anticipate that the main replacement on this road will take approximately one week. During this time, parking will be restricted on both sides of 28 Street W. in this area.

A crew from Michels Corporation, a CenterPoint Energy authorized contractor, is continuing to replace the natural gas steel main on Minnetonka Boulevard. As of this week, the crew has opened the intersection of Inglewood Avenue and Minnetonka Boulevard and has closed Joppa Avenue at Minnetonka Boulevard. They anticipate the Joppa Avenue closure to last until Wednesday, July 3.

Two-way traffic will remain open on Minnetonka Boulevard. Entrances and exits to and from businesses will remain open. Both sidewalks on either side of Minnetonka Boulevard will remain open.

In the month of June, the crew anticipates the following traffic plan to be in place:

In the weeks of Monday, June 3 and Monday, June 10, County Road 25 will be reduced to one lane between France Avenue and Minnetonka Boulevard (County Road 5). During this time, Glenhurst Avenue will be close between County Road 25 and Minnetonka Boulevard. The crews will close a lane on Minnetonka Boulevard between Glenhurst Avenue and Inglewood Avenue. The crews will close Inglewood Avenue in the middle of the intersection of Inglewood Avenue and Minnetonka Boulevard. Two-way traffic will remain open on Minnetonka Boulevard.

In the week of Monday, June 17, the middle of the intersection of Inglewood Avenue and Minnetonka Boulevard will remain closed. Minnetonka Boulevard will be reduced to two lanes, one in each direction, from Inglewood Avenue to Lynn Avenue. The entrances and exits to All Care Dentistry and Starbucks will remain open except onto Minnetonka Boulevard.

In the week of Monday, June 24, the crew will close the northwestern portion of the intersection of France Avenue and Minnetonka Boulevard. During this time, drivers heading south on France Avenue will be detoured to Sunset Boulevard and Inglewood Avenue to Minnetonka Boulevard. The driving entrances and exits to and from Mulberry’s Dry Cleaners and Laundry will remain open. The sidewalks will remain open in this area.

From late May into fall 2024, CenterPoint Energy’s authorized contractors will work on CenterPoint Energy’s natural gas infrastructure in St. Louis Park on select streets, including Minnetonka Boulevard from France Avenue S. to Salem Avenue S.

Equix Integrity updates our records on the locations of sewer lines in relation to natural gas lines. Michels Corporation will replace a small-diameter natural gas plastic main, move inside meters to the outside of homes by appointment, replace and/or reconnect natural gas service lines to the plastic main, and replace a large-diameter natural gas steel main. Q3 Contracting will restore the areas affected by Michels Corporation’s work outside the limits of Hennepin County’s Minnetonka Boulevard Reconstruction project.

There will be no assessment or cost associated with our work. Please expect traffic impacts to include lane, parking, and sidewalk closures. Some road closures will occur along the roads intersecting Minnetonka Boulevard. More details will be on our website.