PROVO — Residents of Springville and Provo complained loudly last year after Questar Gas tore up a 10-foot-wide trench to put down new, larger pipelines along the east benches of those Utah Valley cities.
The project left an unsightly scar on the mountainside that will heal in 18 to 24 months, company spokesman Steve Chapman said.
But the gripes could have been avoided with better education efforts, company officials say now, and that's why they have launched a media campaign to prepare residents for the next phase of a five-year pipeline replacement project.
The new phase begins Monday with a two-week closure of the Provo River Trail near the mouth of Provo Canyon. It will continue until Oct. 1 with lane closures beginning later next week on the north end of University Avenue in Provo and east end of 800 North in Orem.
The age of the previous pipeline, the availability of high-tech tools and the need to deliver more gas to more customers prompted Questar Gas to launch a major project three years ago: Replace 30 miles of 18-inch-diameter pipeline from Payson Canyon to Provo Canyon with a 24-inch-diameter pipe.
When the smaller pipe was installed along the east bench of Utah Valley in 1953, such tools as "smart pigs" hadn't been invented, and nobody knew the population of Utah County would boom from about 89,000 that year to about 400,000 now and an estimated 615,000 in 2020.
Smart pigs are inspection devices that move through the pipe with the flow of the gas. Newer models are larger and come with more calipers and use Global Positioning System technology to obtain the exact location of problems inside the pipe. The devices can't maneuver well through smaller, older pipelines with abrupt elbows.
Questar's five-year project began in 2002 with an 8.2-mile Phase I between Payson Gate and Scenic Drive in Spanish Fork. Phase II was a 7-mile section to Springville and was completed in 2003.
The third phase created the eyesore last year, but Questar environmental specialist Mark Maldonado said vegetation has grown nicely over the Phase I area and will do the same above Provo and Springville.
"We had a cold spring this year with snow in the middle of June," he said. "We can't get growth in those conditions. It takes two to three years, but it will grow, and it will no longer be noticeable."
Now 23 miles into the project, Questar will continue from a hillside just east of University Avenue and bring the pipe down and under the busy road. Then it will continue to a bridge over the Provo River Trail, where pipe will be suspended under the bridge before turning up to and under 800 North and down the north sidewalk for four blocks.
The media campaign surrounding the latest phase will include traffic message boards and is designed to ensure residents and drivers are prepared for:
The closure of a short section of the Provo River Trail between North Canyon Road in Provo and Orem's 800 North from Monday through Aug. 15. The trail will be opened on Aug. 13 for the Provo Canyon half-marathon race.
Lane restrictions and possible delays on University Avenue between North Canyon Road and the mouth of Provo Canyon and on 800 North in Orem from 1100 East to 1560 East.
Closure of access to 1100 East from 800 North beginning mid- to late August. Access to the residential area will be maintained via 1200 North from 800 and 1000 East. Questar is mailing letters about the closure to residents.
Closure of the sidewalk on the north side of 800 North in Orem between 1100 East and 1560 East.
The larger pipe should be able to handle capacity for all of Salt Lake Valley and Utah County for at least another 50 years, Chapman said.
"This should immediately double our capacity," he said. "And we'll have the ability to increase pressure in the pipe, which could be tweaked to triple or quadruple the capacity."
E-mail: twalch@desnews.com