Residents who live along sections of Nassau Street and Princeton-Kingston Road may have some trouble sleeping, as PSE&G has begun work on the next phase of its natural gas line replacement project.
Work started this week on Princeton-Kingston Road – also known as Route 27 – in the area of Poe Road and Prospect Avenue Extension. Crews are working overnight Monday through Thursday, between 9 p.m. and 6 a.m.
One lane of traffic will be closed and there will be alternating traffic in place in the work zone.
The project stretches along on Princeton-Kingston Road and Nassau Street, east of Harrison Street. The crews will work their way west on Princeton-Kingston Road until they reach Harrison Street.
The project calls for replacing the aging cast iron natural gas mains with plastic or coated steel pipes, according to PSE&G officials. It is part of the overall natural gas main replacement project statewide that will remove the cast iron mains and replace them with new ones.
Work crews dig trenches in the road and remove the old mains. New mains are installed. The work is done on a block-by-block basis to minimize disruptions. The trenches are filled in at the end of the work session and protective plates are installed on top.
As the work crews remove the old mains and install new ones, natural gas service connections to the affected homes along the route will be replaced. If the gas meter is inside the house, it will be removed outside. Property owners or a representative must be available to let the PSE&G employee into the house to re-light gas appliances, on an appointment basis.
The natural gas mains are being removed at night because it takes more time, PSE&G officials said. Meter replacement takes less time and will be done during the day, on an appointment basis.
PSE&G has used its outreach specialist teams to inform business owners and residents about the project. Letters were expected to be mailed to property owners about two weeks before the work started on the project.
