MONTGOMERY: Williams-Transco hits a snag during natural gas pipeline installation

By Lea Kahn, Staff Writer
MONTGOMERY — Williams-Transco has resumed work on the remaining section of its new natural gas pipeline that runs through the township — only this time, the company is removing a section of pipeline.
The company ran into a snag as it tried to install the last section of the pipeline underground, using a hydraulic ram to tunnel through an area off Cherry Hill and Cherry Valley roads. It hit some dense rock in that area and could not get through.
Now, the company is removing a 1,000-foot-long section of pipeline in that area as it waits for state approval to install the remaining pipeline by means of an open trench. A public hearing on the request will be held by the state Department of Environmental Protection.
Meanwhile, township officials have made it clear to Williams-Transco that any work on the pipeline can only be done weekdays, between 7 a.m. and 7 p.m., and on Saturday from 8 a.m. to 6 p.m., in response to complaints registered by township residents.
Last month, the company tried to drill through the rock by using a hydraulic ram. Without township officials’ permission, the work continued around the clock Dec. 12. Several residents complained to the police and township officials, and the work was stopped after township officials contacted Williams-Transco corporate headquarters in Texas.
Having been stymied in its efforts to drill underground to install the pipeline and ruining several expensive drill bits in the process, Williams-Transco wants permission from the Department of Environmental Protection to open a trench to install the last section of pipeline.
Williams-Transco is installing a 42-inch natural gas pipeline, replacing the existing 36-inch pipeline that company officials have said is inadequate to meet demand. The section of new pipeline that is being installed in Montgomery Township is part of a 30-mile pipeline loop that passes through Mercer, Somerset and Hunterdon counties. 