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Underground Pipeline Work on Marine Ave. Progresses

Apr 24, 2018 08:47PM ● By Liz Spear
An official with Plains West Coast Terminals (PWCT) says its construction project on the east side of Marine Avenue is on track to be completed by July 2 and within its projected time frame.

Becky Sitton, the project's Contract Right of Way agent, says the project allows PWCT to break up the road pavement to dig a trench and perform inspection and maintenance work on a crude oil transmission pipeline. Once the work is completed, the steel plates that cover the holes in the road (and allow crews access to the pipeline) will be removed and new pavement put down.

In the meantime, those who visit Marine Avenue between Aviation and Sepulveda boulevards will experience continued traffic impacts as crews make their way along the line. Typically, the eastern most westbound lane is closed with the remaining lane closest to the median open to through traffic.

Sitton says the project has been "pretty big" because the inline inspection tool, aka "smart pigs," detected "anomalies on a long seam" of the pipe. Smart pigs are run through a clean line and send back readings "about the integrity of the actual pipe. An anomaly is a little spot. It (the inspection report) is never 100% accurate but we hit a lot of anomalies." Once discovered, anomalies require investigation because there could be a "possible issue" with the pipe, says Sitton. When a pipe's thickness decreases, an anomaly exists and a closer inspection is necessary, she says. 

The majority of anomalies found in the pipeline under Marine Avenue have involved the coating on the actual pipe and not the integrity of the pipe. 

The project has also impacted residents on Elm Avenue from Marine to Rosecrans avenues, Sitton says. "Folks have been amazing," she says of residents who live on the narrow road. Ardmore Avenue has also been affected and will also require repaving. Residents of Redondo Beach have also been affected by this pipeline project.

PWCT purchased the pipeline in 2003 from Southern California Edison. 

Plains All American Pipeline (PAAP), the parent company of PWCT, says "smart pigs" are used "to proactively identify and address possible integrity concerns on our pipelines before safety and environmental performance is compromised. In-line inspections are conducted on scheduled intervals to meet or exceed regulatory requirements."

PAAP owns "an extensive network of pipeline transportation, terminalling, storage and gathering assets in key crude oil and NGL producing basins and transportation corridors and at major market hubs in the United States and Canada. On average, PAA handles more than 5 million barrels per day of crude oil and NGL in its Transportation segment. The company is headquartered in Houston, Texas," according to its website.

The City of Manhattan Beach expects to repave this specific segment of Marine Avenue beginning in September. Liberty Village residential streets will also be repaved in a separate project, starting around the same time. Both projects are expected to last 3 to 4 months.

Related Article: Liberty Village, Marine Ave. Street Resurfacing Project Meeting for Residents - Apr 23, 2018 11:54AM

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