Two years after a natural gas pipeline ruptured under the Arkansas river between Little Rock and North Little Rock, a replacement line is going to be installed. And the developer maintains the new line will be much safer.
The 3,100-foot line will replace the 63-year old pipeline that ruptured May 231, 2015 near the Clinton Presidential Center. The rupture sent geysers of water into the air as nearly 4 million cubic feet of natural gas was released.
“Texas Eastern Transmission LP is conducting a pipe replacement project under the Arkansas River,” said Michael Barnes, a spokesman for parent company Enbridge Inc which is based in Canada. Enbridge describes itself as the largest natural-gas transportation and storage company in North America.
He explained the 24-inch diameter auxiliary pipeline will be replaced and workers will use a horizontal directional drill to dig a tunnel and place the new pipe under the river. The existing line is on the river floor.
Work will focus near the Interstate 30 bridge and should be finished by October according to the Arkansas Democrat-Gazette.