Northern Half of Shakopee (north of Highway 169)
Anticipated timeline: Approx. three months beginning Monday, August 7
- If you contact CenterPoint Energy, please reference the work order number 103162980.
Overview
For approximately three months beginning in early August, CenterPoint Energy’s authorized contractors will work in Shakopee.
Equix Integrity updates our records on the locations of sewer lines in relation to natural gas lines. Michels Corporation will replace natural gas mains, move inside meters to the outside of homes by appointment, and replace or reconnect service lines as needed. Q3 Contracting will restore the areas affected by Michels Corporation’s work. There will be no assessment or cost associated with our work.
Michels Corporation will put new gas mains along the following streets:
- 2nd Avenue W. from Shumway Street S. to Atwood Street S.
- 3rd Avenue W. from Pierce Street S. to Atwood Street S.
- 4th Avenue W. from Clay Street S. to Atwood Street S.
- Pierce Street S. from 4th Avenue W. to 406 Pierce Street S.
- Apgar Street S. from 3rd to 4th Avenues W.
- Scott Street S. from 3rd to 4th Avenues W.
- Shumway Street S. from 2nd to 3rd Avenues W.
- Atwood Street S. from 2nd to 3rd Avenues W.
When the crew is installing the new mains, expect lane, parking, and sidewalk closures on the side where the crews are working. The crew plans to close 2nd Avenue W. to through traffic from Shumway to Atwood Streets. Flaggers may be on site to help direct traffic.
The crew will retire the existing mains in the following alleys:
- Between 2nd and 3rd Avenues from Shumway to Atwood Streets
- Between 3rd and 4th Avenues from Pierce to Scott Streets
- Between 4th and 5th Avenues from Shumway to Scott Streets
When the crew is retiring the mains in the alleys, partial closures may occur. The crew will work with residents on maintaining access.
We appreciate your patience and apologize for the inconvenience as we work as efficiently as we can to upgrade our infrastructure.
Marking utilities
CenterPoint Energy will contact Gopher State One Call 811 to locate public underground utilities such as water, sewer, and cable. You will see markings such as spray paint and utility flags. They will be color-coordinated to indicate a separate utility.
If you have installed any private lines such as sprinklers or dog fences, we ask that you mark them with whatever material is convenient for you. Examples include spray paint, flags, and wooden sticks used to stir paint. Marking sprinkler heads is sufficient.
Natural gas main work
The crew plans to bore the main underneath one sidewalk or boulevard on each road. Please keep in mind that some intersections or some sidewalk panels at intersections may not be permanently restored until after the service line work is done. After all customers’ service lines are transferred to the new main, the crew can connect the new main to the existing intersecting mains and put the new main into service. Then the restoration crew will permanently restore these areas. Until then, customers may see temporary backfill such as dirt or gravel. We thank you for your patience!
Service line and meter work
The customer will receive a CenterPoint Energy postcard in the mail describing the project before the natural gas crews perform the work. The crews will have CenterPoint Energy-authorized photo IDs. 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 arrive, they will leave a door tag with their contact information to schedule an appointment with them.
One natural gas crew typically works on about one block per week. They will either fully replace the service line or reconnect it to the new main, depending on the line’s age. For most properties, the crews remove at least one sidewalk panel in front of the house, excavate a hole by the outside meter, and bore the service line from the sidewalk to the house.
For inside meters, the crew will make a two- to three-hour appointment at a time that works with the resident. We encourage customers to work with the crew on where they want the meter to go, keeping limitations in mind such as a minimum of three feet away from areas such as windows, doors, and vents. Customers with outside meters will be notified prior to the replacement or connection of the service lines to the new mains.
The technician 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.
Restoration
After the service line and meter work, the gas crew will backfill the excavated areas with dirt or gravel. This will be temporary before the restoration crew comes. On boulevards and lawns, they will refill the areas with black dirt, grass seed, and netting that degrades over about four months. Prior to mowing the restored area, remove any loose staples that secured the blanket. For photo examples, please visit our
Restoration Practices page.
We hope to minimize the disruption as much as possible. Thank you in advance for your patience and understanding as we replace our infrastructure. We wish you a great season!
