LAKE WALES, Fla. — Seven roads will be shut down early Wednesday morning as crews test a natural gas pipeline.
Florida Gas Transmission Company (FGT) is checking an 11.4-mile stretch of pipe. In a news release, Polk County said this particular section runs from north of the intersection of Old Bartow Eagle Lake Road and Radford Road in the Gordonville area to southeast of where State Road 60 meets West Lake Wales Road in Lake Wales.
"Pipeline testing will take place from midnight to 4:00 a.m. using pressurized water," the county wrote. "If the test does not pass, another night of testing will be necessary."
The county made clear that any integrity issues identified during Wednesday morning's test would be corrected before any potential future tests were conducted.
The below roads will be closed while testing is underway:
- All lanes of Bomber Road from Fighter Road to Pershing Street at Carolyn Way
- Hunt Road at Bomber Road
- Clark Road at Bomber Road
- David Drive at Bomber Road
- All lanes of Fighter Road from Bomber Road to Trainer Road
- All lanes of Trainer Road from Fighter Road to the western end of road
- All lanes of Ben Durrance Road from Beechcraft Street to Bomber Road
There will be a law enforcement presence at each pipe crossing while the test is being done. Drivers should seek alternate routes.
For context, only a fraction of the FGT pipeline is being tested this week. The pipeline system is about 5,300 miles in total and brings natural gas from South Texas to South Florida, according to Kinder Morgan.
