Minneapolis - Howe Neighborhood - Project Updates

CenterPoint Energy’s authorized contractors are working on the second of two natural gas projects in the Howe Neighborhood for 2023. While Michels Corporation finished replacing the project’s natural gas lines this fall, Q3 Contracting has been following to put down winter erosion control and restoration materials.

Winter restoration includes straw mats or hydroseed on boulevards and lawns, and asphalt on previously concrete areas. In spring 2024, the crews will return for permanent restoration. Q3 Contracting anticipates finishing their winter restoration efforts this month.

We appreciate your patience tremendously as we are upgrading our natural gas infrastructure. We wish you a great season!

CenterPoint Energy’s authorized contractors are making progress on the projects in the Howe Neighborhood. While Michels Corporation has been replacing the natural gas lines, Q3 Contracting has been restoring the areas affected by Michels Corporation’s work.

Michels Corporation crews have replaced all the natural gas lines within this project’s limits. The most recent gas line replacement was the steel main replacement on 40th Street E. from Minnehaha Avenue to 46th Avenue S. Q3 Contracting is following Michels Corporation’s route. By the end of this week, they plan to have finished restoring the areas affected by Michels Corporation’s work in this area.

Crews from Michels Corporation replaced small-diameter natural gas plastic mains and have been moving inside meters outside by appointment and replacing and/or reconnecting some service lines to the new mains. They anticipate finishing their work on following streets by mid-October:

Isabel Ave. from Park Ter. to 47th Ave. S.; Park Ter. from 34th St. E. to 47th Ave. S.; 47th Ave. S. from Park Ter. to 36th St. E.; 36th St. E. from 46th to 47th Ave. S.; and 46th Ave. S. from 36th to 37th St. E.

Other Michels Corporation crews are continuing to move inside meters outside by appointment and replace some natural gas service lines. They anticipate finishing their work on the following streets by mid-November:

43rd Ave. S. between 34th and 37th St. E.; 44th Ave. S. between 34th and 38th St. E.; 45th Ave. S. between 34th and 38th St. E.; 46th Ave. S. between 34th and 36th St. E. and between 37th and 38th St. E.; and the alley and Park Ter. between Isabel Ave., Edmund Blvd., 34th St. E., and 36th St. E.

The crews finished the service line and meter work on 43rd Avenue S. and will soon finish this work on 44th Avenue S. They are currently working on 45th Avenue S. and the 3700 block of 46th Avenue S.

Q3 Contracting will continue to follow Michels Corporation’s routes. Although they plan to permanently restore the affected areas, they may temporarily restore if the weather isn’t conducive for permanent restoration. This will include asphalt on hard surfaces and winter erosion control blankets on soft surfaces. In spring 2024, the crews will return for permanent restoration.

This spring and summer, CenterPoint Energy’s authorized contractors replaced natural gas lines throughout the Howe Neighborhood. Michels Corporation replaced small-diameter natural gas plastic mains on select streets, moved inside meters outside, and replaced and/or reconnected service lines to these new mains.

Q3 Contracting has been following these crews to restore the areas affected by their work. On boulevards and lawns, they have been refilling the areas with black dirt, grass seed, and netting that degrades over about four months. Prior to mowing the restored area, remove any loose staples that secured the blanket.

From Monday, August 21 into late October or early November 2023, another Michels Corporation crew will replace a large-diameter natural gas steel main on 40th Street E. between Minnehaha Avenue and 46th Avenue S. There will be no assessment or cost associated with our work.

Q3 Contracting will continue to restore the areas affected by Michels Corporation’s work. Some areas may have temporary dirt, gravel, or erosion control until after portions of the steel main replacement are complete. Although Q3 Contracting will endeavor to restore several blocks at a time as the gas crews work on several blocks at a time, there may be some weeks’ time in between the gas work and the restoration. We greatly appreciate your patience as we work as efficiently as we can.

The crew needs to open trench the road to weld pieces of the main together. During this time, a few blocks will be closed for a few weeks at a time. Residential access will be maintained. Steel plates may be used for driveway crossings. Although the crews don’t anticipate disturbing sidewalks, any sidewalk disturbance will happen on one side at a time and will be restored.

Crews from Michels Corporation, CenterPoint Energy’s authorized contractor, have been replacing service lines and moving inside meters outside in the Howe Neighborhood. One crew completed the service line and meter work on 44th and 45th Avenues S. from 40th to 43rd Streets E.

This week, another crew is working on Snelling Avenue between 39th and 43rd Streets E. They anticipate that the service line and meter work on this road will take approximately three weeks. During this time, parking will be restricted on both sides of Snelling Avenue in this area.

Another crew is working on 39th Avenue S. between 39th and 43rd Streets E. They anticipate that the service line and meter work on this road will take approximately two weeks. During this time, parking will be restricted on the east side of 39th Avenue S. in this area.

For approximately one week beginning this week, another crew is working on 42nd Street E. from 38th to 39th Avenues S. and on 43rd Street E. from 39th to 40th Avenues S. During this time, parking will be restricted on both sides of 42nd and 43rd Streets E. in these areas. While the crews will keep traffic flowing in both directions, they will close the north parking lane. One sidewalk will remain open during this time.

A crew from Q3 Contracting, CenterPoint Energy’s authorized contractor, will restore the areas affected by the gas crews’ work. Temporary backfill such as gravel or dirt will stay in place of the excavated areas until the restoration crew arrives.

On boulevards and lawns, the crew will refill the areas with black dirt, grass seed, and netting that degrades over about four months. Prior to mowing the restored area, remove any loose staples that secured the netting. For photo examples, please visit our Restoration Practices page.

We apologize for the inconvenience and appreciate your patience as we upgrade our natural gas lines.

This week, crews from Michels Corporation, CenterPoint Energy’s authorized contractor, began replacing natural gas service lines and moving inside meters outside on 37th Avenue S. from 38th to 40th Streets E. and on 42nd Avenue S. from 38th to 40th Streets E.

They anticipate that the service line and meter work on 37th Avenue S. will take approximately three weeks, while the service line and meter work on 42nd Avenue S. will take approximately two weeks.

During this time, parking will be restricted on both sides of 37th Avenue S. in this area, and the east sidewalk of 37th Avenue S. will be closed. Parking will be restricted on the east side of 42nd Avenue S. in this area, and the east sidewalk of 42nd Avenue S. will be closed from 38th to 40th Streets E.

Afterward, they will work on the service lines on 37th Avenue S. from 40th Street E. to Minnehaha Avenue.

Next week, CenterPoint Energy’s authorized contractor, Michels Corporation, will begin working along the following streets: 39th Avenue S. between 40th and 42nd Streets E.; 41st Avenue S. between 38th and 43rd Streets E.; and 42nd Avenue S. from 38th to 40th Streets E. The crews estimate that the service line and meter work will take about one week per block.

Last fall, CenterPoint Energy’s authorized contractors replaced natural gas mains and put down temporary restoration throughout the Howe Neighborhood. This year, the contractors will return.

From spring to summer, the crews will replace the service lines or reconnect them to the new mains and move inside meters outside. After the service line and meter work, the gas crew will backfill the excavated areas with dirt or gravel. This will be temporary before the restoration crew re-fills the areas with black dirt, grass seed, and netting that degrades over about four months.

From summer to fall, the crews will replace the steel main, impacting traffic for a few blocks at a time. The crew will work with residents on maintaining access. Restoration will follow the steel main work.

Throughout the project, this web page will be updated with more specific traffic updates. Thank you in advance for your patience and understanding as we replace our infrastructure.

In the Howe Neighborhood, CenterPoint Energy’s authorized contractors are planning to finish the 2022 portion of the project’s work in mid-December. Multiple crews from Michels Corporation are replacing the project’s natural gas mains. The last crew plans to finish within early December.

A crew from Q3 Contracting will restore the areas affected by Michels Corporation’s work. Because of weather, they will put down temporary asphalt in areas that were previously concrete, and hydromulch on any affected boulevards or lawns.

In 2023, one or more natural gas crews will return to connect the houses’ natural gas service lines to the new mains and to move inside meters outside.

In 2023, after the gas crews finish the service line and meter work, the restoration crews will restore the affected areas to their original condition. This includes concrete on sidewalks and black dirt and grass seed on soft surfaces.

By the late afternoon on Friday, November 18, one Michels Corporation crew plans to finish their work, which is from Minnehaha Avenue to the east side of 41st Avenue S., including removing their equipment. Within the next few weeks, winter restoration will follow.

This week, another Michels Corporation crew will replace the natural gas main under the east sidewalk of 40th Avenue S. between 38th and 40th Streets E. They anticipate that the main replacement on this road will take approximately to Friday, November 18. During this time, parking will be restricted on east side of 40th Avenue S. in this area.

Another Michels Corporation crew replaced the main on 40th Street E. to the east side of 41st Avenue S. They are connecting the new main to the existing intersecting main at 40th Avenue S.

This week, another Michels Corporation crew will replace the natural gas main under the east sidewalk of 44th Avenue S. between 40th and 43rd Streets E. They anticipate that the main replacement on this road will take approximately one week. During this time, parking will be restricted on both sides of 44th Avenue S. in this area. The east sidewalk along 44th Avenue S. will be closed. The temporary restoration began on 45th Avenue S.

Thank you to all the residents and businesses for their cooperation and patience during this project! We wish you a warm holiday season.

In the week of Monday, October 31, a crew from Michels Corporation, CenterPoint Energy’s authorized contractor, will begin replacing the natural gas main under the east sidewalk of 39th Avenue S. between 42nd and 43rd Streets E. and under the north sidewalk of 42nd Street E. from 38th and 39th Avenues S. They anticipate that the main replacement on this road will take approximately one week. During this time, parking will be restricted on both sides of 39th Avenue S. and 42nd Street E. in this area.

On Wednesday, November 2, another Michels Corporation crew will begin replacing the natural gas main under the east sidewalk of 45th Avenue S. between 40th and 43rd Streets E. They anticipate that the main replacement on this road will take approximately three weeks. During this time, parking will be restricted on both sides of 45th Avenue S. in this area. All roads will remain open for traffic.

In the week of October 31, a crew from Michels Corporation, CenterPoint Energy’s authorized contractor, will begin replacing the natural gas main under the north sidewalk and road of 40th Street E. between Minnehaha Ave and 38th Avenue S. They anticipate that the main replacement on this road will take approximately 1 to 2 weeks. During this time, parking will be restricted on both sides of 40th Street E. in this area. The crew will have a sidewalk closure on the north side of 40th Street E.

Beginning on or after Tuesday, November 1 and lasting for a few business days, the crew will close 40th Street E. to through traffic from Minnehaha Avenue to 36th Avenue S. During this time, the northern sidewalk will be closed. Detour signs will lead through traffic to 36th Avenue S., 39th Street E., and Minnehaha Avenue. The entrance to 555 Studios and 3948 36th Avenue S. will stay open. We do appreciate your patience!

Beginning in the week of October 31, lasting into mid-December, pausing for the winter, resuming in spring 2023, and lasting into late spring or early summer 2023, CenterPoint Energy’s authorized contractors will work in the Howe Neighborhood in Minneapolis along 37th, 38th, 39th, 40th, 42nd, 43rd, 44th, and 45th Avenues S. and along 39th, 40th, 41st, 42nd, and 43rd Streets E.

While Michels Corporation will replace the natural gas mains, connect the natural gas service lines to the new mains, and move any inside meters outside, Q3 Contracting will restore the areas affected by Michels Corporation’s work. Michels Corporation plans to replace the project’s mains in fall 2022 and the service lines and meters in spring 2023.

Areas affected by our work will be restored to their original condition. Depending on the weather, Q3 Contracting may put down temporary restoration, such as asphalt on previously concrete surfaces and winter erosion control on boulevards and lawns, before returning in 2023 for permanent restoration.

Parking, lane, and sidewalk closures may occur. Flaggers may be on site. Anticipated road closures are along 40th Street E. between Minnehaha Avenue and 36th Avenue S. and between 46th Avenue S. and the alley between 45th and 46th Avenues S. The timing of the closures has yet to be determined.

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.

On the soft surfaces such as boulevards and lawns, various erosion control measures 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.