In Lake County, Northern Indiana Public Service Company (NIPSCO) recently announced the expansion and upgrade of natural gas facilities in Merrillville and Highland as part of its ongoing plan to modernize their energy delivery system across northern Indiana. The company says each upgrade will add an additional layer of safety protection by allowing NIPSCO to run pipeline inspection tools and cleaning tools through the natural gas transmission system. It’s a magnetic method, which does not impact the steel pipeline material, and is used to detect the start of any corrosion in the pipeline. The work is expected to last through the end of this year and contractor CJ Hughes has been hired for project construction.
The worksite in Merrillville is south of 91st Avenue and in Highland north of 45th Street, west of the Erie Lackawanna Trail at both locations, and NIPSCO asks trail travelers to use caution at job site locations and follow the direction of posted signage and on-site crew members. It is advised to refrain from traveling through marked barriers and trail closure signage when using the Erie Lackawanna Trail. NIPSCO thanks the community, residents, and Erie Lackawanna Trail travelers as work is being performed.
“System safety is a number one priority at NIPSCO. We continuously evaluate our current natural gas system and work with local, state and federal mandated pipeline safety regulated organizations to ensure the communities we serve are provided with safe, reliable natural gas service,” said Alexius Barber, NIPSCO Lake County Public Affairs and Economic Development. “NIPSCO appreciates the collaboration of efforts from the town of Merrillville and the town of Highland as well as the patience of residents while work is being performed. We will continue to work with community officials to minimize impact of this expansion work to residents during construction.”
