Fall River, MA – March 25, 2021 -  In early April, Liberty intends to resume its plan to update and improve its natural gas distribution system. The Gas Leaks Act of 2014 permits local distribution companies, like Liberty, to submit annual plans to the state for the repair or replacement of aged natural gas infrastructure in the interest of public safety, and in an effort to reduce lost and unaccounted for gas. The Act requires Liberty to replace all of its priority pipe within a 20 year timeframe. These improvements, made through our Gas System Enhancement Program (GSEP), will make our system more reliable, safer, and will reduce methane emissions.

In 2021, Liberty expects to complete approximately 26 miles of pipe replacement, with 18 miles of pipe being replaced in the City of Fall River. Work is scheduled to begin the week of April 5th in two Fall River neighborhoods;

  • The Flint neighborhood - including Carr Street, County Street, Knight Street, McGowan Street and many of the side streets in that neighborhood
  • The Highlands neighborhood - from north of President Avenue on Robeson Street and Highland Avenue up to St. Patrick’s Cemetery and many of the side streets

Other smaller projects will occur in Somerset, Swansea, Westport and N. Attleboro. The link below shows the work, being done in each municipality. https://massachusetts.libertyutilities.com/fall-river/residential/constructionnotifications.html

“We understand that this may be an inconvenience to residents and visitors of Fall River and we want to thank everyone for their cooperation,” said Liberty President, Peter Eichler. “We will work closely with the city to plan traffic flow and we are committed to keeping the public well informed with updates.” Wherever possible, Liberty works closely with local officials to coordinate this work with other municipal projects, such as new water and sewer mains and road reconstruction. Benefits of the program include: • Improved safety and reliability • Once completed, there will be significantly less maintenance needed and less digging in city streets • Reductions in methane emissions into the atmosphere • The economic benefits associated with jobs creation for these projects • Increased tax revenue for the municipalities Liberty and its subcontractors working on these projects take safety very seriously. This work is being done in partnership with the municipalities that we serve, and in compliance with local, state and federal regulations as overseen by the Department of Public Utilities. For your safety, be advised that Liberty and its subcontractors carry photo identification for verification.

Please contact Liberty Utilities at (774) 627-2876 with questions regarding this project. Updates and information will be posted to the Liberty website and updates will be posted on Twitter and Facebook.