‘Each day that goes past our deadline is a day too long’: New deadline set for Merrimack Valley gas restoration
Officials expect to have gas restored to residents between Dec. 2 and 16.
Officials now say gas service restoration for the Merrimack Valley is expected between Dec. 2 and 16 for all affected residents, and additional resources are being deployed to help workers meet that deadline.Gov. Charlie Baker, Lt. Gov. Karyn Polito, and Chief Recovery Officer Joe Albanese gave the update during a Friday morning news conference. The original deadline was Nov. 19.“For thousands of residents, we know that your world has been turned upside down,” Baker said. “We know that this process, for a variety of reasons, has been painful, frustrating, and inconvenient.”While a force of about 2,000 people have been working around the clock to replace 45 miles of gas pipeline plus “thousands of service lines,” the restoration “has been difficult and challenging,” Baker said.The work has shifted focus to repairing boilers or furnaces so residents can return home with heat and hot water, according to a news release. Columbia Gas, the company responsible for the service, intends to replace impacted boilers and furnaces in the spring. The company also intends to replace other appliances destroyed after the repairs to the heating equipment are made.To meet the new deadline, 1,400 gas fitters, electricians, plumbers, inspectors, linguists, assessors, and in-field management specialists are being added, the release said. Two additional construction companies are being brought in to help with residential restoration, while a third additional construction company will focus on businesses.“While the mission’s been challenging, the circumstances are unprecedented: A natural gas incident of this magnitude, resulting in a contingency environment without the advanced time to truly assess and plan the enormous task of mustering and aligning sufficient resources to make efficient and time the repairs to thousands of dwellings,” Albanese said.It’s been roughly six weeks since the series of explosions and fires killed one person, injured about 25, destroyed roughly 25 homes, and damaged another 125 in Andover, North Andover, and Lawrence on Sept. 13. Investigators believe over-pressurized gas lines are to blame. Residents have been given alternate accommodations while workers go through and replace gas lines. “Each day that goes past our deadline is a day too long,” Albanese said.
Watch the full press conference here:
https://www.facebook.com/7NEWS/videos/515908198876064/
