School's back in session! As area students return to school this month, Columbia Gas urges pedestrians and motorists to use caution in work zones in neighborhoods across Central and Eastern Kentucky.
Our crews are taking advantage of the remaining months of warmer temperatures to prepare our system for the winter heating season. Our commitment to our customers to provide safe and reliable natural gas service includes updating our infrastructure by replacing aging main lines and service lines at homes and businesses. The new pipelines and equipment provide enhanced safety features, long-term durability with less maintenance and support for amenities like outdoor kitchens and pool heaters.
These projects are loud and messy, require digging and road and sidewalk closures, and can disrupt traffic. While we work to exceed safety standards at our worksites, customers and other residents are encouraged to share these safety tips with children and teens in their care:
- Bikers, walkers and motorists should always follow the direction of flaggers and construction signage and avoid closed roadways, sidewalks and parking zones. Teach children to recognize orange and yellow safety signage, cones and flags.
- Never play on or around construction equipment or work vehicles. Stop, look and listen – remove audio devices and make eye contact with the operator – before crossing or passing backhoes, trucks and other equipment.
- Allow extra time in the morning or afternoon to navigate work zones or find safe alternative routes until work is completed.
- Avoid being distracted by using cell phones or audio devices while in a construction zone.
- Pedestrians should always look both ways before crossing a roadway, even in the crosswalks. Never dart into the road to retrieve a ball or pet.
- Keep pets secured on your property or on a leash while walking around construction zones.
While we may not be able to provide advanced notice of emergency work, our planned projects in your neighborhood should never be a surprise. We send a letter to customers included in our major projects and a listing of our major projects can be found on our website at ColumbiaGasKy.com/projects. We also work with neighborhood associations and community leaders to provide project updates and we post information on our Facebook and Nextdoor pages.
Customers with questions or concerns about our work can call our Pipeline Replacement Answer Line at 1-800-562-8970, Option 3, Ext. 6355 and we’ll respond within 24 hours.
