PG&E Races to Finish Pipeline Testing Before Winter

PG&E will be working 24 hours a day through the weekend to test gas pipelines after receiving approval from the City of Palo Alto.

A request to work extended hours was approved for hyrdostatic gas pipeline testing work on Alma at Oregon Expressway, according to Palo Alto Utility Communications Manager Debra Katz.

The typical work schedule for PG&E has been 7 a.m. to 7 p.m. Monday through Friday. The after hours work this weekend will be episodic, not constant, as they work on completing a variety of pre-testing and testing tasks, Katz said.

Residents living in apartments south of the Alma/Oregon intersection will likely be most impacted, Katz said, as will motorists travelling on Alma due to a lane closure between Colorado and Oregon. The ramp leading from Alma onto eastbound Oregon Expressway will not be closed, Katz said.

With cold, winter weather rapidly approaching, demand for gas is expected to skyrocket. PG&E needs to finish testing pipeline #132——in order to restore the operating pressure in their system to meet that higher demand.

Testing was supposed to be completed one month ago, but some personnel were diverted to projects in other nearby communities, Katz said.