Salem officials brief council on Columbia Gas pipeline replacement and citywide fiber rollout

The council received updates on two major infrastructure projects: a Columbia Gas pipeline replacement on Jennings Avenue and a citywide fiber-optic rollout by Omni Fiber.

Safety Service Director Mr. Gazella said Columbia Gas has started work on Jennings Avenue and adjacent side streets to replace roughly 9,000 linear feet of pipe; the work is expected to take about four to five months, weather permitting. He identified Miller Pipeline as the subcontractor performing much of the work and said residents have been notified prior to construction.

Gazella also briefed council on a planned Omni Fiber project to run fiber optic cable throughout Salem. He said the city has divided the work into 19 areas, expects to start in the Southeast Boulevard area within three to four weeks and anticipates construction continuing through November. He described above-ground equipment placements "similar to what traffic signal boxes are" and said the city worked with the contractor during pre-construction meetings to coordinate placement and neighborhood impacts.

Council members asked whether equipment would be above ground, how neighborhoods would be notified and whether routing changes were possible; Gazella said the city will post updates via its text-alert system and social media and will coordinate routing where feasible.

No formal council action on either project was recorded in the transcript; the briefing provided scheduling and notice information for residents and departments that will coordinate construction oversight.