National Grid has begun work on a gas main replacement project along Northern Boulevard running from West Drive to Shelter Rock Road.
The project should take approximately three weeks, though “work progress is always dependent upon weather and field conditions,” according to a public relations manager with National Grid.
Rich Bentley, president of the Council of Greater Manhasset Civic Associations, echoed that qualifier.
“If it’s a stormy month, how can you predict whether a hurricane is going to come up the coast or not?” he wondered.
He did, however, describe the three-week estimate as “a reasonable amount of time” that should “be pretty close.”
The work will take place in the shoulder and sidewalk area on the south side of the street so lane closures will be limited mainly to the shoulder with some possible one-lane closures at times, said National Grid.
“There will be no gas service interruption to the commercial or residential customers in the surrounding area,” according to the utility.
During the first week, there will be minimal disruption, according to National Grid.
A three-person crew will work solely during the daytime, making test holes to identify what lies beneath the roadway and where the path of the replacement main will be.
The larger work will begin Sunday, Oct. 16, at 10 p.m. but all lanes should reopen by 6 a.m., National Grid said.
Work will continue nightly until the project is complete. All intersections will remain open.
“People in the neighborhood are concerned about it interrupting their daily lives,” Bentley said.
National Grid said that “the work will be directional drilled under the road surface in order to limit the roadway and sidewalk disturbance.”
The company committed to reach out to St. Mary’s schools and parish, where there is considerable pedestrian and vehicle volume, Bentley said.
National Grid will also contact businesses near the project.
