Work on $1.1 billion pipeline underway

By Eddie West Staff Writer

Preliminary construction including right-of-clearing for a more than one billion dollar natural gas pipeline which will cross the northern section of the county is well underway.

When completed, the 122 mile natural gas pipeline will run from Trousdale County in Middle Tennessee to Roane County in East Tennessee.

Known as the Ridgeline Expansion Project, the natural gas pipeline is being constructed along the East Tennessee Natural Gas’ right-of-way by a company called Enbridge.

Enbridge is a Canadian based company with U.S. headquarters in Houston.

Enbridge owns and operates the East Tennessee Natural Gas Pipeline and will own and operate the Ridgeline Expansion Project when completed.

The massive project has two completion dates.

The target completion date  for “in-service” status is late 2026 with “full completion by spring of 2027”.

From the east, the pipeline enters Smith County from Trousdale County just north of the Dixon Springs community, continues east to just south of the Pleasant Shade and Difficult communities. The pipeline then travels through the Kempville community and into Jackson County.

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