Chattanooga Gas Co. has begun work on a new $4 million natural gas pipeline that will follow the routes of a couple of nature trails up the mountain.
Contractors for the natural gas supplier have begun digging up part of Lower Cravens Terrace beneath the historic Cravens House on the side of Lookout Mountain to prepare for part of about 13,000 feet of new 8-inch plastic pipeline being installed up the mountain.
Wendell Dallas, vice president of operations for Chattanooga Gas, a subsidiary of the Southern Co., said the new line is needed to improve gas service and pressure to about 800 customers, most of whom live on the top of Lookout Mountain, Tennessee.
"The Chattanooga area is continuing to grow and in order to make sure that we get gas to the people who live on Lookout Mountain we are in need of doing this pressure improvement project," Dallas said. "We'll be working on this over the next few months and should complete this later this year."
The project is part of more than $20 million a year of capital projects done each year by Chattanooga Gas to serve its 66,000 customers in the Chattanooga and Cleveland area, Dallas said.
Next month, Colonial Pipeline also plans to begin work on relocating two of its oil and gasoline pipelines in Chattanooga from a railroad trestle above ground along the side of Lookout Mountain to a new location nearby where the lines will be buried underground.
Both of the pipelines will use part of the nature trails developed by the Lookout Mountain Conservancy, which granted easements to the pipeline companies to help provide an underground pathway for the utility services in exchange for improvements being made on its Guild and Hardy trails.
"Colonial is burying some of its pipes and Chattanooga Gas will be installing this new pipe along our property, which we think is good for public safety and, once completed, will put back our trails in better shape than they were before," said Robyn Carlton, chief executive of the Lookout Mountain Conservancy. "For us, it's about risk management on the trail so we want to do whatever we can to get rid of exposed pipes and to make sure that our trail surface is a good one for our users."
Colonial Pipeline is relocating two of its lines in Chattanooga to help bury the lines and improve service, company spokesman Ryan Rogers said.
"Burying pipelines underground enhances public safety by eliminating above-ground exposure," said Rogers, communications manager for the Atlanta-based pipeline company. "Colonial Pipeline will further advance the safe operation of the pipeline by adding "cathodic protection," which uses electrical charge technology for pipeline protection."
Colonial expects the project to begin next month and to take about six to eight weeks to complete.
The relocation project is a result of collaboration among Colonial Pipeline, the Lookout Mountain Conservancy and the U.S. National Parks Service, Rogers said.
Contact Dave Flessner at dflessner@timesfreepress.com or at 757-6340