Cambridge - Highway 95 - Project Updates

CenterPoint Energy’s authorized contractors are finishing the 2021 portion of the project. A crew from Michels Corporation finished replacing the project’s natural gas lines. This included the mains, service lines, and meters.

A crew from Q3 Contracting, CenterPoint Energy’s authorized contractor, will put down winter erosion control on the areas affected by construction. The hard surfaces will have temporary asphalt, including those that were previously concrete. In spring 2022, the crews will restore them to their original condition. On any excavations in boulevards and lawns, they will backfill with dirt and place netting over these areas. In spring 2022, they will return with black dirt and seed.

We wish you a safe holiday season!

This week, one crew from Michels Corporation, CenterPoint Energy’s authorized contractor, will finish replacing the project’s natural gas plastic mains. The remaining work will take place on Opportunity Boulevard N., Fillmore Street S., McKinley, and 2nd Avenue NE. Another crew is connecting the service lines to the new plastic mains. They plan to finish this work by Thursday, December 16. This will conclude the project’s natural gas work.

A crew from Q3 Contracting, CenterPoint Energy’s authorized contractor, will put down winter erosion control on the areas affected by construction. The hard surfaces will have temporary asphalt, including those that were previously concrete. In spring 2022, the crews will restore them to their original condition. On any excavations in boulevards and lawns, they will backfill with dirt and place netting over these areas. In spring 2022, they will return with black dirt and seed.

On Thursday, November 18, a crew from Michels Corporation, CenterPoint Energy’s authorized contractor, began replacing the project’s natural gas plastic main. They will finish replacing the plastic main in the week of November 29.

The crew replaced natural gas mains along Highway 95 east and west of Highway 65 and along Harrison Street N. from Highway 95 to Superior Avenue. They will connect these new mains to the existing intersecting mains at Opportunity Boulevard N., Garfield Street, and Superior Avenue.

Today on Wednesday, November 24, the crew is replacing the main along Emerson Street N. Work will be suspended from Thursday, November 25 to Sunday, November 28 for the holiday weekend.

In the week of November 1, a crew from Michels Corporation, CenterPoint Energy’s authorized contractor, replaced the natural gas steel main under the east sidewalk from Garfield Street to Highway 95. This week, they are replacing the main in the southern eastbound lane on Highway 95 from Garfield to Emerson Streets. They plan to open the intersection of Highway 95 and Garfield Street by Monday, November 15. The crew anticipates that the project’s remaining steel main replacements will last until Saturday, November 20.

In the week of November 15, another Michels Corporation crew will arrive to begin replacing the project’s natural gas plastic main.

A crew from Michels Corporation, CenterPoint Energy’s authorized contractor, replaced the natural gas steel main on 2nd Avenue SE between Kennedy and Nixon Streets. This week, they will replace the main on the west side of Nixon Street from 2nd Avenue SE to Highway 95. Traffic will be maintained. Then they will replace the main along the south sidewalk on Highway 95 from Nixon Street to Opportunity Boulevard. The sidewalk will be closed during active construction.

In the week of October 25, the crew will replace the main in the western ditch line on Opportunity Boulevard from Highway 95 to 2nd Avenue NE. For approximately five days that week, the crews will close 2nd Avenue NE west of Opportunity Boulevard.

In the weeks of November 1 and 8, the crew will replace the main under the east sidewalk on Garfield Street S. from 2nd Avenue SE to Highway 95. The sidewalk will be closed during this time. They will also work in the eastbound turn lane on Highway 95 from Garfield to Emerson Streets S. Closures will happen along Highway 95 at Garfield, Fillmore, and Emerson Streets S. Each closure will last for approximately three days.

The crew plans to finish the steel main replacement by November 12. We appreciate your patience as we upgrade our natural gas lines.

Beginning in the week of October 4 and lasting into late October or early November 2021, CenterPoint Energy’s authorized contractors will work in Cambridge along the following streets: Highway 95 NE from Emerson Ave. to Harrison St. and from Kennedy St. to Xylite St.; Harrison Street from Highway 95 to Superior Avenue; Garfield Street from Highway 95 to NAPA Auto Parts; Xylite Street NE from Highway 95 to 2nd Avenue NE; Nixon Street S. from Highway 95 to 2nd Avenue SE; and 2nd Avenue SE from Kennedy Street S. to Nixon Street S.

While Michels Corporation will replace the natural gas mains, connect the natural gas service lines to the new mains, and move any inside residential meters outside, Q3 Contracting will restore the areas affected by Michels Corporation’s work. Lane, road, sidewalk and parking closures may occur.

The construction crews and personnel will continue to use the Covid-19 Customer Permission Flyer, which requests customer permission prior to entering homes. Personnel, contractors and CenterPoint Energy employees will continue to practice CDC guidelines regarding social distancing, sanitary practices and wearing face masks when entering customer homes.

The customer will receive a CenterPoint Energy postcard in the mail typically within one or two weeks prior to the day when the Michels Corporation crews will perform the work. The crews will have CenterPoint Energy-authorized photo IDs stating that they are employees of Michels Corporation.

After the customer receives the postcard, the foreman will arrive at the customer’s house to schedule an appointment that typically meets with the customer’s schedule. If the customer isn’t home when they arrives, he will leave a door tag with his contact information to schedule an appointment with him.

Customers are advised to set aside a two- to four-hour time frame for the inside-to-outside gas meter move. They are also advised to mark their privately-installed utilities such as dog fences or sprinklers. Marking can be accomplished with tools such as spray paint or utility flags. The foreman will access the natural gas meter inside the house, move the meter outside, and relight the natural gas appliance pilot lights after the new meter has been relocated.

Customers with outside meters will be notified prior to the replacement or connection of the service lines to the new mains. Areas affected by our work will be restored to their original condition.

In 2021, a crew from Q3 Contracting will put down winter erosion control on the areas affected by construction. The hard surfaces will have temporary asphalt, including those that were previously concrete. In spring 2022, the crews will restore them to their original condition. On any excavations in boulevards and lawns, they will backfill with dirt and place netting over these areas.

In spring 2022, they will return with black dirt and seed. On the soft surfaces such as boulevards and lawns, various erosion control measures will keep the restored area moist, hold seed in the soil, and enhance seed germination. If an erosion blanket is needed it is secured in place with staples. The mesh is a wood fiber that will completely degrade. Prior to mowing the restored area, remove any loose staples that secured the blanket.