Ameren Illinois gas crews are nearing completion of work along Illinois Route 159 in Caseyville to re-route a natural gas line. The 3,300-foot, $93,000 project is part of utility company’s $3.5 billion investment in natural gas and electrical transmission infrastructure over the next five years.

Ameren Illinois gas construction worker Brian Keller radios Pete Deconcini, not pictured, to slowly bury a new six-inch natural gas line underground along Illinois Route 159 near Stonewolf Golf Course in Caseyville.

Crews are placing a 6-inch natural gas pipe along route 159 to replace an older four-inch pipe that lies several hundred feet to the west of the road. Crews doing a standard inspection recently noted that some land along the existing line had begun to erode. Rather than perform a costly repair, the company decided to install a new line.

The larger, six-inch natural gas pipe will accommodate expected residential growth and future development along the stretch of highway from Pin Oak Lane to Stonewolf Golf Course.

The new pipe is being placed along the roadway, Ameren spokesperson Brian Bretsch said, as part of Ameren’s current strategy to place natural gas lines along roadways, which are more accessible for the maintenance crews. Previously, lines were place closer to the buildings they served.

The process involves boring 50-foot long underground holes, running a line through the hole and connecting the pipes using a fusion process.