PSE&G To Upgrade Gas Facilities For Ridgewood and Fair Lawn

Public Service Electric & Gas Co. (PSE&G) is upgrading gas facilities in Fair Lawn and Ridgewood with the approval of its Energy Strong program.

PSE&G will be installing new gas mains, as well as upgrading associated service lines that carry the gas to homes and businesses, according to the company. The upgrade is part of the approved Energy Strong program to strengthen and protect New Jersey's electric and gas infrrastructure from severe weather. PSE&G will replace 250 miles of older cast iron mains with new plastic piping in or near flood-prone areas throughout its service territory. A total of 88 miles is planned for replacement for this year, with the remainder scheduled for completion for 2015. PSE&G says that the new pipes will "prevent water from entering the mains, increasing the reliabilty of gas services in these locations".

“We're working to start building the resiliency into our systems needed to withstand the kind of severe weather that has devastated our state in recent years,"said Ralph LaRossa, PSE&G President and COO. "The gas pipes we are replacing were impacted by flood waters from Hurricane Irene or the storm surges from Superstorm Sandy. Once this work is done, our gas system in these areas will be better protected during future storms."

Beginning on or about July 28, work will take place Monday through Saturday between the hours of 7 a.m. to 8 p.m., conditions permitting. project is expected to be completed by the end of the year.

To upgrade the mains and install the new pipes, it will be necessary for crews to dig trenches in the roadway. As a result, there may be road closures and/or detours. Local police will be on the scene to direct vehicle and pedestrian traffic. At the end of each workday, the trenches will be filled in abd plates will be secured on any other open areas so people can safely drive and walk.

Customers should be aware that once the gas mains are upgraded, PSE&G will need to access customer's homes to connect their service and meter to the new main. PSE&G will contact homeowners to arrange a date and time to do the work. During this reconnection, customers will be without gas service for approximately four hours.

Customers will be notified when work is about to begin in their area, and can find a list of affected streets at www.pseg.com/energystrong.