About the PG&E Gas Lines in Land Park on Muir Way

PG&E works on gas lines in Land Park on Muir Way.

PG&E is working furiously on tearing up the streets in Land Park to lay new PG&E gas lines. You have probably spotted those ubiquitous blue-and-white trucks that are busy replacing gas lines all over Sacramento this year but they are especially prevalent at the moment near where I live in Land Park. We’ve got those older PG&E gas lines running through our neighborhood, just like the Orangeburg sewer lines that so many homes in Land Park have to deal with and, if you live in Land Park and haven’t had a sewer inspection, you should probably do it. These older materials were not meant to last forever, but they’ve also been forgotten over the years, sorta like Pia Zadora, who my husband mentioned the other day when I asked why we were not watching a show that had won a Golden Globe last year. Two words, he said.

I ride my bike through Land Park, which is why the road tearing-up business for the PG&E gas lines is in my face. It is very difficult, for example, to cruise by the Riverside United Methodist Church at Vallejo and Muir to hack that Ingress portal with blue-and-white trucks all over the place and the road blocked off. They’ve been there for more than a week. The funny thing is when I look at the PG&E map of where its gas lines run, they do not show the gas lines running this far down Muir Way. In fact, below is a photo of a home that I sold in Land Park to a charming couple, which is located near Muir and Robertson, and you can clearly see they are working there, for which my previous buyers are undoubtedly very pleased.

PG&E gas line work on Muir Way near Robertson Way in Land Park, Sacramento.

These gas lines don’t appear on the PG&E integrated map. Which might be part of the reason why PG&E was indicted by a federal grand jury for lying to the National Transportation Safety Board last year over the San Bruno explosion of 2010. Suddenly, PG&E committed 2.7 billion to replacing gas lines.

Further down Muir Way by Perkins you can see lines drawn in the street that probably reflect where they will dig. CAT tractors are scattered throughout the PG&E gas line project, which I’m happy about because it means my CAT stock is likely to rise. When I first bought CAT stock in 2000, I was very excited to spot CAT equipment, being new to the whole investing arena.  While driving with my husband and I’d spot CAT equipment at the side of the freeway, I’d squeal, “there’s a CAT,” and . . . he’d slam on the brakes . . .

As I road my bike west on Robertson from Riverside, I could not help but wonder why the residents don’t complain to the city about the way the blacktop in the street is charred and breaking up. Chunky bits, tar mixed with dirt. It makes for very bumpy bike riding, bouncing my bluetooth, and I imagine a car doesn’t fare much better. When I noticed a soft spot on my street that dipped, I called the city of Sacramento and they came out right away to inspect and fill it. I suspect the City of Sacramento relies on us to inform them because they don’t necessarily drive around looking for stuff to fix. Although, it would not be a bad idea to resurface all of the streets in Land Park after this PG&E gas line project is completed.

Look on the bright side: if you’re not hacking portals in the Sacramento City Cemetery or around Land Park, then you probably won’t be driving through the residential section of Upper Land Park, which is situated west of Riverside. Although, you might cut through Vallejo after checking out the The Mill at Broadway, which has brand new homes flying up faster than our cat Pia chased chicken treats. Just watch for the detour signs.

Photos: Elizabeth Weintraub