Background

On September 13, 2018, an over-pressurization of the the natural gas lines in the Merrimack Valley region resulted in a series of fires and explosions, and rendered the gas distribution system inoperable. Consequently, nearly 30 miles of underground gas piping was replaced in the City of Lawrence, resulting in major impacts to the City’s roadways and sidewalks. 

In the spring of 2019, Columbia Gas entered into an $80 million Settlement Agreement with the affected municipalities, in which funding was provided for the restoration of the affected roads and sidewalks. The share of funds designated for restoration in Lawrence amounted to $31.9 million.

Restoration Overview

The South Lawrence Roadway Restoration project will take place in four (4) phases, beginning in 2019, and is expected to be completed by the end of 2022. The below map highlights the roads included in the restoration project, and are color-coded by planned year of completion.

Some of the impacted roads also require utility (water, sewer, drainage) replacement. In those cases, they will be repaved on a separate schedule. Those road segments are shown in gray in the below map.

The work areas are generally described as follows:

• 2019: Colonial Heights and Southeast Mount Vernon
• 2020: Mount Vernon
• 2021: South Lawrence East
• 2022: Carletonville

Preliminary Restoration Paving Plan Map - September 2019 This map shows the roadways which will be paved as part of the Settlement Agreement, color-coded by calendar year. The figure is based on all data available to the City and its consultants as of the date of preparation.

**Updated** Restoration Paving Plan Map - June 2020 This updated map shows the roadways which will be paved as part of the Settlement Agreement, color-coded by calendar year. Updates to this version include denoting streets that have already been paved, as well as capturing any data previously missed. The figure is based on all data available to the City and its consultants as of the date of preparation.