PHMSA Gas Grant Project

Norwich – Norwich Public Utilities (NPU) has received more than $20 million in federal grant funding from the U.S.  Department of Transportation Pipeline and Hazardous Materials Safety Administration (PHSMA) to replace aging gas lines throughout Norwich.

The work to replace these lines is expected to begin in late October of this year and be completed by the end of 2026.  The preliminary schedule for replacement work is as follows:

October 2024 – June 2025:

  • Asylum Street (Grant Court to West Main Street)
  • West Pearl Street

March 2025 – November 2025:

  • North Main Street (Burnham Square to Boswell Avenue)
  • Boswell Avenue (North Main Street to St Regis Avenue)
  • 15th Street
  • 4th Street (North Main Street to Central Avenue)

June 2025 – June 2026:

  • Franklin Street (Willow Street to McKinley Avenue)
  • McKinley Avenue (Franklin Street to Rockwell Street)
  • Rockwell Street (McKinley Avenue to Crescent Street)
  • Crescent Street (Rockwell Street to Broadway)
  • Carroll Avenue
  • Washington Place
  • Warren Street (McKinley Avenue to Broad Street)
  • Spauling Street (McKinley Avenue to Freeman Avenue)
  • Freeman Avenue (southeast of Spaulding Street)

Residents and customers living on these streets will receive more information from NPU on the schedule and impact of this important work.  Regular updates other notifications will be provided on the NPU website (www.norwichpublicutilities.com) and social media platforms.

Bill Dewey is the Project Manager for this work and has decades of gas construction experience with NPU. He can be reached at (860) 823-4535.

This important project includes installing new gas mains and services, followed by road pavement and restoration.  Unless stated otherwise, all work described in this notification will be performed at no cost to customers.  NPU’s PHMSA grant provides us 100% of the funding necessary to perform the work required to replace the project mains and services and pavement restoration.

All work will take place on weekdays between the hours of 7:00 a.m. and 5:00 p.m.  Every effort will be made to minimize traffic disturbances, however occasional delays are likely.  Emergency vehicles, school buses, and public transportation vehicles will always be allowed to pass through our work zones unless a formal detour plan, which must be approved by the Norwich Police Department, is implemented.  If a detour is implemented, signage will be posted to direct motorists around the work zone.

The following is what citizens living along the project streets can expect:

If you have an indoor gas meter:  Your gas meter will have to be relocated to the outside of your house, away from windows, doors, and sources of electricity.  You will have some input on where the new meter will be installed, but typically an outdoor meter faces the street or, if installed on the side of the house, it will be installed more toward the front side of the house rather than the rear.  After your new outdoor gas service is installed, a licensed contractor/plumber will properly connect the gas meter to your existing indoor gas piping.

After all piping has been installed and tested, your appliances will be re-lit.  All of this work is typically completed within a single workday.  Scheduling of this work will be coordinated with you in advance.  All disturbed lawns, sidewalks, walkways, driveways, etc. will be restored to pre-construction condition or better.

If you have an outdoor gas meter:  The only work required for these customers is to connect the existing gas service pipe in the street to the newly installed gas main.  This will require briefly shutting off gas to the property while the service pipe is relocated to the new gas main, followed by relighting all gas appliances.  Scheduling of this work will be coordinated with you in advance.

If you have a gas service at your house but are not currently purchasing natural gas from NPU:  If you have a gas service to your house but have not purchased gas from NPU, this is the time to consider signing up for a new gas service.  After a project area is complete and the roads are repaved, new natural gas services will not be installed.  If you are unsure if you have an unused gas service at your property, please contact the Project Manager, Bill Dewey, at the contact information provided above.

If you currently do not have an NPU gas service:  If you currently do not have an NPU gas service at your property, there will be no impact to you other than some inconvenience while construction is occurring on the street.

However, if you would like to sign up for an NPU gas service this a good time to do so.  If you are interested in connecting to natural gas to heat your home (either a furnace or boiler connection), NPU continues to offer a free gas service line installation from the street to your foundation as well as a $1,000 incentive to offset your indoor conversion costs. The cost of converting indoor appliances and piping is the responsibility of the property owner and must be completed by a private contractor within six months of receiving a gas service and meter. NPU also offers substantial rebates on the purchase and installation of new, high efficiency furnaces, boilers and water heaters. Please contact NPU’s Energy Services team at efficiencymatters@npu.com to inquire about installing a new gas service to your home.

Process for completing this work:

First, an NPU employee will visit properties within the project area and review the proposed work with the property owner and discuss a preliminary schedule.  If nobody is home when NPU visits the property, a door hanger will be left with information on how to schedule an appointment to review the proposed work.

Next, the new gas main will be installed in the street.  Typically, about 200 feet of gas main is installed each workday, so the length of time it takes to install the gas main on your street depends on the overall length of the street.

Following the installation of the gas main, the gas service work will take place.  There are hundreds of gas services that will be replaced during the project.  Depending on the complexity of the services on a given street, between 1 and 4 services are installed each workday.  If the installation of a gas service disturbs lawns, sidewalks, walkways, driveways, etc. these areas will be restored to pre-construction condition or better.

Finally, after all gas mains and services are installed the project roads will be milled and repaved.  If the installation of gas mains and services occurred on both sides of the street, the entire street will be milled and repaved.  If the installation of gas mains and services occurred on only one side of the street, only that side of the street will be milled and repaved.  It is anticipated that most streets within the various project areas will be milled and repaved for their entire width, curb to curb.

The normal construction season for this type of project is between April 1st and December 15th.  Typically, winter conditions prevent the efficient installation of gas mains and services and therefore projects like this tend to shut down for the winter.  However, if Norwich experiences a warmer than average winter in either of the two winters this project will span, work may proceed as conditions allow.

NPU looks forward to modernizing our natural gas system to provide you with a safer and more reliable natural gas service.  Please direct any questions or concerns to the Project Manager, Bill Dewey, at (860) 823-4535.