Pipeline project completed in village

MILAN — A major pipeline replacement project, for the most part, just wrapped up in Milan, which promises customers better service with fewer interruptions. Amanda DePerro, a senior communications specialist with Columbia Gas, provided some information on the project: • What: "Columbia Gas of Ohio and our contractor, Infrasource, recently completed a pipeline replacement project in Milan." • Where: "Crews installed approximately 9,400 feet of new plastic pipe and roughly 125 service lines throughout the downtown area, including Main Street, East Front Street, North Edison Drive, East Church Street, East Merry Street, East Williams Street and East Wilcoxson Street." • Why: "This project was part of Columbia's Accelerated Mainline Replacement Program, a long-term initiative to replace nearly 20,000 miles of old bare steel and cast-iron pipe across the service area. The new plastic system has a variety of benefits, including that it is non-corrosive and has a roughly 100-year lifespan. It also offers increased system capacity to customers in the area." • Who: "Columbia has worked closely with the village of Milan on all aspects of this project and would like to thank village administrator Brian Rospert and his team for our successful partnership in executing this critical improvement work." • When: "Permanent restoration is in progress and is expected to continue into August. All of the pipe is in the ground and the system is in service. The only work that remains is our permanent restoration work, which includes returning customers' yards, sidewalks, roads, etc. — anything that was impacted during the project work — to original condition." • Overall impact: "The new plastic pipe should mean fewer interruptions to service due to the fact that it requires much less regular maintenance. With the exception of a construction crew causing damage to our line, the new plastic pipe requires less upkeep by our own crews. In other words, the plastic pipe is safer, easier to maintain and lasts longer than old steel pipe, for example." Note: Columbia Gas did not provide a total for the project expense. It's a privately funded project. In other words, Milan's government or another public source didn't cover any expenses. "Final project costs will be requested for recovery through a future application filed with the Public Utilities Commission of Ohio," DePerro said.