KANSAS CITY, Missouri (KCTV) — Residents of a Parkville neighborhood were on edge after a gas line was damaged Tuesday night while workers in the area were busy installing Google Fiber.
This incident occurred nearly 24 hours after part of a house in Independence exploded because a gas line was hit during the installation of Google Fiber.
Across the state line, another natural gas pipeline was damaged by a contractor in Shawnee. The Shawnee Fire Department has not released any information about what was installed there.
“We take due care in every gas search and triple check everything,” said Joshua Nance.
Nance is a locator technician whose job is to ensure gas lines are properly located, spray lines on the ground, and set up markers for contractors before they dig.
“We are aware of the dangers associated with the search for gas,” Nance said.
He said there have been several gas pipelines affected in recent days and there are several reasons for this.
He said this could be due to, among other things, the locators setting incorrect marks, the contractors digging too quickly or the contractors ignoring the marks. However, Nance believes the problem is that too many contractors are unfamiliar with the area they are working in.
“There are a lot of new contractors installing Google Fiber who are from out of state,” Nance explained. “Most of the in-state contractors communicate very well with the localization experts like myself and we communicate back and forth constantly. They communicate with us and double check everything. They send us things long before they start a project.”
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According to Missouri 811, the service line you should call before you start digging, the reason for the increase in gas line breaks is the increase in projects.
“As the number of tracking requests and the number of excavations increase, the number of damages will ultimately increase,” said Randy Norden, executive director of Missouri 811.
Nordon said they receive a million tickets annually, of which 10,000 are marked as “damage tickets.”
The company that installed Google Fiber and caused an explosion in a home in Independence actually contacted Missouri’s 811 emergency number before digging.
“There were no problems with the tickets and notifications. Something happened during construction that could also affect the tracking process,” said Norden.
Norden said the events in Independence could have ended badly and were a good reminder of public safety.
“This should make it clear to everyone and remind us all that we should call 811 in Missouri before we excavate. If you’re the excavator operator, follow the rules. If you’re the searcher, make sure you carefully locate the utility lines,” Nance said.
To contact Missouri 811, click here.
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