Chicago — As part of the final stages of work to replace very old energy infrastructure in and around Chicago’s Loop, Peoples Gas formally retired a cast iron gas pipe that had been in service for 164 years. The pipe, a natural gas main, runs beneath Wabash Avenue and was in service since 1861. That’s the year Abraham Lincoln became president.
Peoples Gas construction crews unearthed a section of the iron pipe from beneath the road at Wabash and 8th Street. They carefully hoisted a 15-foot long by 20-inch wide pipe section. The pipe weighs an estimated 2,000 pounds.
In its 164 years of service, the pipe delivered energy to heat countless downtown buildings, including iconic spots such as the Palmer House hotel and Miller’s Pub. The pipe served Chicago for almost as long as Peoples Gas itself has served the city. Peoples Gas, this year, is celebrating 175 years of providing energy to Chicago.
The pipe lifted from the ground is one of many very old, corroding energy pipes being retired along Wabash. The overall work began last summer and stretches from Monroe Street to 11th Street. From block to block, the age of each pipe ranges from 133 to 164 years old. The different installation dates mirror Chicago’s growth during the late 1800s.
Ensuring safe, reliable, environmentally sustainable heat
Peoples Gas and its union construction crews have safely removed more than 5,700 feet of old pipeline from service in this part of Chicago’s downtown.
They replaced the old pipes with modern pipeline that will ensure ongoing safety and reliability in Chicago’s heating system. The new pipes also support environmental sustainability. They are stopping leaks, and are able to deliver renewable natural gas and other forms of low and no-carbon energy.
Similar critical work will be done in many other Chicago neighborhoods in the coming years, as old pipes in need of replacement exist across the city.
Coordination with city crews saves money and inconvenience
The pipe construction along Wabash Avenue was done in recent months so it would coincide with road-resurfacing work being done by the Chicago Department of Transportation. Coordination of construction schedules between Peoples Gas and City departments reduces the cost and inconvenience of the work. It eliminates duplicative spending and enables traffic to be reduced only once, instead of twice.
Scientific study of pipe
Next up for the 1861 pipe section: It will be closely studied. Extremely old pipe samples like the one unearthed today help scientists and engineers understand and predict how construction materials will corrode over time.
The pipe is the oldest one to be retired from the Peoples Gas system since a pipe from 1859 was replaced at Orleans Street and Hubbard Street in the River North neighborhood in 2019.
