No Solid Plans Yet to Replace Forest Ave Gas Lines

Of the $50 million in improvements scheduled for gas main replacements throughout Rhode Island, so far no projects have been slated for Middletown or on Forest Avenue where a gas leak in May resulted in a neighborhood evacuation, National Grid officials confirmed this week.

"Middletown is not on the list, but that doesn't mean Middletown wouldn't get on that list if it was determined that work was needed there," said David Graves, a National Grid Providence-based spokesperson who said he spoke with project engineers directly in recent days about Forest Avenue. He added, "However, right now, we are in an assessment stage to study the problem and determine if any gas main replacements are needed there."

National Grid, which assumed responsibility for natural gas utilities in Rhode Island four years ago, is currently undertaking its largest annual gas main replacement program ever in the state of Rhode Island, with an estimated $50 million allotted for the improvements, said Graves.

On May 20, a gas leak that occurred on Forest Avenue north of the Airport Access road resulted in an official evacuation of neighboring residents near Bluegrass Drive. Concerns for the safety of Forest Avenue residents came up at a recent Town Council meeting, when Forest Avenue resident Betty Jane Northup-Owen wrote a letter to town officials requesting that a study into whether heavy traffic on the road poses a potential threat to the older natural gas piping that runs underground there. Middletown Public Works Director Thomas R. O'Loughlin responded that the town has been in ongoing discussions with National Grid throughout the year about replacing gas mains in Middletown, including Forest on Avenue.

The May 20 leak was fixed at the source when it occurred, according to National Grid. Company records also show that segments of current gas mains along Forest Avenue are cast iron installed in the early 1900s and other sections constructed of steel pipes installed in the 1950s and 1960s, which are more prone to deterioration compared to the heavy duty and more resilient plastic composite materials used today.

"There was nothing extraordinary about that leak," said Graves of the May 20 gas leak, adding, "We have no extensive leaks in that area, no outstanding history."

National Grid officials could not say how long the current assessment and study of Forest Avenue gas mains would take. Graves said that if project engineers determine such a need, the company typically would aim to start and complete the work before winter, but there would be no guarantee.