Reader question: What’s up with all that pipe laying near Green Mount Road?

Ameren Illinois is spending $45 million to replace six miles of natural gas line in St. Clair County east of Belleville.

The company’s crew began work mid-April to upgrade the the 1950s-era pipeline with 16-inch steel pipe from roughly Eckert’s on Illinois 15 north to just past Lebanon Avenue in Shiloh.

“Once the pipeline is completed and in-service by early September, it will strengthen the integrity and reliability of the company’s natural gas system and support economic development in the Metro East area near Fairview Heights, Belleville, and O’Fallon,” a press release stated.

Pipe already has been buried from Illinois 15 to about Lebanon Avenue. Work remains evident north from there, however. Crews have cleared an easement so that it appears almost as if a new, dirt roadway has been opened. Above it, large sections of the 16-inch pipe are stacked awaiting their burial.

Motorists in that area should be aware of workers and moving trucks in the work zone, Ameren Illinois said in its release.

Over seven years, Ameren Illinois has replaced more than 400 miles of steel pipeline, 150 miles of vintage high-pressure steel pipes, and more than 70 natural gas regulator stations through a “natural gas modernization program.”

This story was originally published July 10, 2023 at 6:00 AM.