Pipeline Project Close to Completion

According to a Atlanta Gas Line (AGL) representative, the Ellijay-Blue Ridge Pipeline project is just months away from completion.

AGL Media Specialist Duane Bourne told FYN in an email yesterday that the pipeline project involving a proposal to extend a natural gas pipeline for 20 miles between Ellijay and Blue Ridge should be in service by the end of March. The project was first given the green light from the Georgia Public Service Commission in 2011. In Gilmer County, the natural gas pipeline begins on Progress Road and proceeds through Ellijay to Boardtown Road. However, the pipeline will then run north approximately 17.5 miles to Highway 5 before entering Fannin County on Sugar Creek Road.

Additionally, Bourne says the pipeline is strategically located to keep pace with the region’s growth and resulting demand for natural gas. When completed, the 22-mile pipeline will support continued economic development for Gilmer and Fannin counties, Bourne says.

The project was delayed in September of 2012 when pipe liners discovered what was later confirmed as an Indian burial ground in the Ellijay City Limits. As such, Bourne says AGL is currently in the process of rerouting a segment of the pipeline to bypass this area. Construction is expected to begin later this month.

“We look forward to being able to provide safe and reliable natural gas service to the residents and businesses of Gilmer and Fannin counties,”

says Bourne.