Construction delay means more lane restrictions at Litchfield-Camelback intersection

By Madeline Ackley Salazar
Mail | Twitter: @Mkayackley

A gas main replacement has been delayed an entire month near Camelback and Litchfield roads after Southwest Gas-contracted crews lost equipment underground.

And that means even more lane restrictions where Camelback and Litchfield roads intersect.

Drivers can expect to see left-hand turn lanes restricted between 8:30 a.m. to 3 p.m. from Monday through Saturday as crews attempt to work through “challenging soil conditions,” according to a Southwest Gas mailer.

Crews were initially using a process called ‘potholing,’ a quicker and easier way to replace the main than digging an open trench.

But the ground’s sandy conditions were not optimal for potholing, and after losing more than one piece of equipment, Southwest Gas will need to dig a trench after all.

Construction at the intersection is part of a larger gas main replacement project that began last October--but construction at that particular location was only expected to last until May 1.

Now, Southwest Gas is saying that area drivers, residents and businesses will experience delays at least through the month of May.

The larger pipeline replacement project is expected to be completed in December 2022, but crews will also need to return to the area at some future date to “make final connections and abandon the existing gas pipeline,” the mailer read.

In April, businesses at the intersection said they received no warning from the city nor Southwest Gas that construction was planned, nor that it would block a main entrance to the plaza.

Litchfield Park city officials told The Independent that it was Southwest Gas’ responsibility to notify businesses in the area of construction.

A spokesperson for Southwest Gas said that mailers were sent out about the project back in fall 2021.

Madeline Ackley Salazar can be reached at mackley@iniusa.org or found on Twitter @Mkayackley.