A stretch of Island Hwy. East in Parksville will be converted into single lane laternating traffic in the southbound lanes from Nov. 21 to around Dec. 9. (Google Maps)

By Jordan Davidson

watch for flags

Natural gas line upgrades underway along Parksville Hwy. 19A

Nov 22, 2022 | 2:44 PM

PARKSVILLE — Construction along Hwy. 19A is set to cause some traffic hiccups over the next couple of weeks.

FortisBC are replacing a natural gas main in the southbound lanes of the Island Hwy. East from Shelly Rd. to the Englishman River bridge. Work will continue through to the second weekend in December.

Nicole Brown from FortisBC said it’s standard practice to do work which aims to strengthen their natural gas systems across the province.

“The highway will be open during construction. There are some traffic controls on the southbound lane of Old Island Hwy., so we do apologize for that inconvenience. If people can avoid that area that would be great. And if not, if they could just please watch for our crews just so everyone stays safe.”

Construction will take place starting around 8 a.m. and going until about 5 p.m. each day, with traffic being converted to a single alternating lane.

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Brown said gas lines are routinely inspected for signs of wear and tear, and they perform upgrades as needed.

“Typically gas lines last 50 years or more. It does depend on growth in the area. If the area continues to grow we need to put in larger gas lines, and we’d have to evaluate that at that time. As it stands right now…20 to 50 years is not unreasonable.”

She told NanaimoNewsNOW some customers may smell rotting eggs which is associated with natural gas as they tie the upgraded system into their existing lines, but it shouldn’t be cause for concern.

“That said, anyone with concerns, like if they feel like the gas is coming from inside their property, they should still call us.”

If you smell gas, you can contact FortisBC at 1-800-663-9911, or go to Fortisbc.com for more information.

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jordan@nanaimonewsnow.com

On Twitter: @JordanDHeyNow