Lehi drivers stuck navigating detours around 1200 East and 900 North can mark their calendars: Enbridge Gas expects to reopen the intersection by mid-October.

The closure is part of a four-phase replacement of Feeder Line 26, a high-pressure natural gas pipeline installed in 1960 that runs from Point of the Mountain to State Street. Enbridge is swapping the old 20-inch pipe for a larger 24-inch line to keep pace with Lehi's growth, Lehi Free Press reported on Tuesday, Sept. 8.

"The pipe we are replacing wasn't in danger of failing, but rather we are getting ahead of the growth to make sure we can accommodate our customers with the natural gas they need," Brock Anderson, Enbridge project manager, said.

The work at 1200 East and 900 North falls under phase three of the project. As of Enbridge's Aug. 19 project update, 900 North remains closed to eastbound and westbound traffic. Westbound traffic on 1200 East is detoured north or south, and eastbound access to 1200 East is shut entirely.

Anderson told the Free Press the job has taken so long because 1200 East is one of Lehi's original roads. Layers of active and abandoned utilities sit stacked underground, and crews had to work around all of them. Enbridge also paid Lehi fiber to relocate fiber-optic lines to clear a path for the bigger pipe.

The 900 North intersection posed its own challenge. A high-pressure line runs east to west beneath it, and crews had to dig deep to tie the new north-south pipe into that existing line. Anderson said that connection should be finished by the end of September, with road restoration following.

The 24-inch replacement line serves as a backbone for natural gas delivery. Large volumes flow through it before entering a regulation station, where pressure drops and gas is distributed to homes and businesses. Anderson said new safety guidelines mean the pipe should last 100 years. Enbridge will monitor it from above ground, so crews will not need to dig up the road again.

Phases one and two are complete. Phase four has already started in the Traverse Mountain area along Driftwood Drive. Anderson said that phase will cause less disruption than the 1200 East work. The overall project runs through fall 2027, according to Enbridge's project page.

No interruption to residents' natural gas service is expected during construction, according to Enbridge. Residents can sign up for weekly updates by emailing [email protected] with the subject line "Line26."