MEDICINE HAT, AB — City crews are preparing to replace aging gas lines along 1st Street SW.
Beginning May 1st, the stretch between Chinook Drive SW and Division Avenue will be closed to traffic.
Drivers will need to take the detour, following Chinook Drive towards Prospect Drive.
The road will be closed for about a month.
The entire project is expected to take between eight and 10 weeks, depending on weather and any other unforeseen circumstances.
“The portion on 1st Street should only take about three to four weeks and then after we’re done that portion we’ll completely rehab 1st Street, fill in our trenches, open 1st Street up before we carry on,” said Chris Turner, engineering superintendent with gas distribution.
Turner said a project like this is the city’s way of being proactive instead of reactive.
“It’s an older pipeline. The house services off of the pipeline now aren’t up to actually today’s codes, kind of our gas standards, so it’s just bringing it up to speed for today,” he added.
Turner is reminding drivers to be cautious of construction crews who will be in the area beginning next week.
