Vermont Gas: Pipeline Expected To Be Completed In Spring

HINESBURG, Vt. (AP) — Vermont Gas Systems says it expects to finish building a roughly 40-mile natural gas pipeline this spring that will stretch from Colchester to Middlebury.

The utility tells Vermont Public Radio (http://bit.ly/2kgIwPn ) more than 2,000 feet of pipeline remain. The project involves drilling horizontally underneath a public park in Hinesburg.

The project was budgeted at $86.6 million in 2013. Its current budget is about $166 million.

Vermont Gas says it stayed within its budget this past quarter.

The state Supreme Court lifted a stay last year and allowed the utility to progress with construction despite pending litigation.

Vermont Gas has posted a $1 million bond to cover the cost of removing the pipeline and restoring the land in case the high court rules against it.

An appeal from Hinesburg neighbors is pending.

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Information from: WVPS-FM, http://www.vpr.net