St. Louis Park - Texas Avenue S. 2020 Belt Line Project
Scheduled Start Date: Week of May 18, 2020
Project Resources
CenterPoint Energy and the City of St. Louis Park hosted a virtual meeting
On Wednesday, May 6, 2020, beginning at 6:00 p.m., CenterPoint Energy and the City of St. Louis Park hosted a virtual WebEx meeting and answered questions about the project. Here is a copy of the PowerPoint presentation:
Where, when, and why is CenterPoint Energy performing construction?
From May to fall 2020 and resuming in spring 2021, crews from CenterPoint Energy’s authorized contractors will replace natural gas mains, connect natural gas service lines to the installed mains, move any inside residential meters to the outside of homes, and restore the areas affected by their work. Construction will take place along the following roads:- Texas Avenue S. between Wayzata Boulevard and Cedar Lake Road
- Cedar Lake Road between Texas Avenue S. and Virginia Avenue S.
- Virginia Avenue S. between Cedar Lake Road and 28th Street W.
- Texas Avenue S. between 28th Street W. and Minnetonka Boulevard
This project is a continuation of CenterPoint Energy’s Belt Line project in Minnesota, which began in 2012 and will continue until approximately 2022. The Belt Line system is a series of natural gas distribution mains along routes from Brooklyn Center to Bloomington and from Golden Valley to Minneapolis.
Construction will happen in four phases:
Phase 1: Week of May 18 to mid-summer: This phase consists of installing the first of the project’s two mains with new modern materials. The installation will allow room for the second main, mentioned in Phase 3, to be installed. Two-way traffic will be maintained with a lane closure in this area.
Phase 2: Late May to mid-summer: The purpose of
our 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.
Phase 3: July or August to late fall: This phase consists of replacing the second of the project’s mains. Crews will be working on one to two blocks at a time for one to two weeks per block.
Phase 4: Crews from CenterPoint Energy’s authorized contractor, Q3 Contracting, will restore the areas affected by CenterPoint Energy’s work—typically the boulevard, sidewalks and lawns.
CenterPoint Energy's COVID-19 Protocol as of April 20, 2020
Installing replacement gas mains: 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.
Connecting service lines to the new mains: 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. Please see our flyer here:
The purpose of our 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.
What is CenterPoint Energy’s mission, and how can I contact CenterPoint Energy?
At CenterPoint Energy, we are committed to providing timely and relevant information to our customers and the general public to minimize inconvenience or disruption due to our construction activities. CNP has provided safe, clean and efficient natural gas service to Minnesota communities for more than 145 years. We are proud of this record and strive to improve it by educating the public about the benefits of natural gas at CenterPointEnergy.com/BeSafe.
Please reference the project name or numbers 88519399 and 91937825 when calling. We appreciate your business and look forward to continuing to serve you. Thank you very much.
