
Repair work and upgrades to a gas line on Elizabeth Avenue will take at least another two weeks to complete, a PSEG spokeswoman said May 17.
The work is being done across the street from Elizabeth Avenue School.
Routine monitoring of the site in late April led to the discovery of a gas leak, said PSEG spokeswoman Lauren D. Ugorji. Work to repair the leak began on April 23, she said.
“Once they went in and found the leak and realized it needed repair, they decided there are many upgrades they should make at once, instead of just fixing that one leak,” she said. “It turns into a little bit of a larger job, but in the end will make the whole area more reliable and safer and modernized.”
She said the work has to be coordinated with other projects in the area, which will lead to it taking some extra time to complete.
“It’ll take a little longer but they shouldn’t have to go back in, and hopefully no one will be smelling gas at all,” Ugorji said.
Ugorji said that the sight of workers in special gear might appear alarming, but the area is safe.
“I want to emphasize that everything is completely safe,” she said. “The gear is standard practice, no matter the size of the leak It could be a trickle to a full-blown gas situation, they are required to wear that gear.”
“The sight of it might appear alarming to parents, but I want to reassure parents that there’s not much gas going into the atmosphere, and they are working in a very organized fashion to keep everyone safe,” she said.
Ugorji said this issue has nothing to do with the gas regulator that was installed in the area last year, after school officials and others reported a stronger-than-usual odor of gas.