How close to a natural gas line can I build a driveway?

[newbury]

SAB
I've a residential natural gas line that "Miss Utility" mapped as running along the line of an existing concrete driveway. I want to extend the driveway. The ideal extension would have the driveway about 1 horizontal foot away from the gas line. I want to be able to drive my F350 loaded down the driveway. I understand the ramifications of driving heavy stuff OVER a gas line, and know I can't dig within a couple of feet of the line.


I called the gas company (twice) to ask for info on how close I could build the driveway. Despite pressing 1 for English both times all I got were females with very heavy Spanish accents which I could barely understand, and I think they couldn't understand me. All I got was the phone number of a paving company, who doesn't answer their phones.

What I was PLANNING on was about a 5" to 6" concrete pad over a suitable gravel base. I'm pretty much up on types of concrete, rebar, pouring, etc. This is in Northern Virginia, frost line depth 24" per building code.

What I am asking here is -
Does anyone know how close horizontally to a residential natural gas line is it safe to build a driveway?

I may just abandon the project.

 

[Dr Dave]

Streets, driveways and sidewalks are built over gas lines everyday. Just dont dig down and hit it, the new lines are yellow plastic tubbing, they will flex and stretch.

A friend was dispatched for a gas leak at a parking lot. A contractor called in and said the fresh concrete they just poured, was bubbling up. Some one had nicked the line with a backhoe.:confused3:

Dave

 

[Dr Dave]

Be sure to get a locate, and try to be there, ask nice and the locator, may telI you the depth.

I have seen the location pinpointed with a blunt ended 3/8 rod with an insulated T handle.

Dave

 

[newbury]

SAB
I've a residential natural gas line that "Miss Utility" mapped as running along the line of an existing concrete driveway.

Be sure to get a locate, and try to be there, ask nice and the locator, may telI you the depth.

I have seen the location pinpointed with a blunt ended 3/8 rod with an insulated T handle.

Dave

Did that. I'm concerned with HORIZONTAL not VERTICAL. I don't want to chance "damaging" the gas line.

 

[Midniteoyl]

Is it your line to the house? I would run the drive as planned.. you're not going over it, so no worries anyways..

 

[s219]

Not sure if the distinction between horizontal/vertical matters. In the end, you simply don't want to hit it when grading the area where the pad will be. Which means that if it's more than 8-12" down (regardless of horizontal separation) you should be fine. If it's not even under the pad, then don't worry about it one bit.

At our last house, the main gas line at the street ran right under the driveway, as did the service line (was tee-d elsewhere but ran under the eventual driveway). The concrete guys box-bladed out about 6" of soil/etc in order to lay gravel and setup their forms. It was a non-issue.

No doubt, main lines are at least 2 feet down if not deeper. Service lines to a home are likely shallower -- I know ours was only about 12" down when I had to cross it one time with an irrigation pipe. I hand dug that area and was glad I did.

 

[jinman]

I don't think there is any horizontal distance requirement. I have found none on searching. Initial installation says there has to be a clear 8' wide path from the main to the meter, but that's just clear space for equipment to do the initial installation. Nothing even says the pipe has to be in the center of that 8' clear path. In your case, if there is ample room on the opposite side of the drive for digging and access, I'd just put the driveway in and forget it. After all, gas lines run very close to house foundations. I don't see where a driveway would be an issue as long as you know for sure where the pipe is located.

 

[hawkeye08]

Recently was going to put in a new water line so did the call before you dig thing (even though there are no utilities anywhere near where we were going to dig. Only thing we have is electrical and phone, no gas, no cable, etc. I had my ditch dug and was working on the water line when a locator showed up and looked confused. He was there to locate for natural gas (electric and phone locator had marked before we starting digging). I said we don't have any natural gas lines for miles. He actually wrote in his color coded marker paint NO NG and took pictures of it. It seems that they are all taking pictures now too.

The locator service here has a website, perhaps yours does also and you could ask questions there? or maybe find an email address to email them questions?

 

[ericher69]

NG lines to the house here are plastic but do have a tracer running the entire length. A locate should be able to tell you exactly where it is. And in Ontario it's 3ft around you must hand dig.

 

[LD1]

With a solid gravel base and 6" thick pad, even if you pour right over it, I dont think even a semi would effect it, let alone a loaded F350. Concrete, especially with the gravel base, will distribute the load and not hurt the pipe at all.

 

[powerpace]

My gas supply lines is buried 18 inches under a gravels drive. Inspected and has had concrete truck and dump trucks on it no problem.

 

[JD 4520]

Len should be 24" down. Building a drive or road over a line is not a problem. An F350 will have zero effect. Go forth...

 

[forgeblast]

If I am not mistaken most states have a "one call" phone number. They will send someone out to mark where the line is. They might be able to give you the info you want.

 

[Bird]

Recently was going to put in a new water line so did the call before you dig thing (even though there are no utilities anywhere near where we were going to dig. Only thing we have is electrical and phone, no gas, no cable, etc. I had my ditch dug and was working on the water line when a locator showed up and looked confused. He was there to locate for natural gas (electric and phone locator had marked before we starting digging). I said we don't have any natural gas lines for miles. He actually wrote in his color coded marker paint NO NG and took pictures of it. It seems that they are all taking pictures now too.

The locator service here has a website, perhaps yours does also and you could ask questions there? or maybe find an email address to email them questions?

Last Fall, the City had to dig up a sewer line in my front yard and we had the same situation; no natural gas lines anywhere in the area, and no other underground utilities except water and sewer. But they still had to wait on the "official" locator to come spray different color paints on the grass and stick different colored flags in the ground.:laughing:

It's been 19 years since I worked as a "leakage technician" but I never heard of any distance concrete had to be from a gas line. It's certainly not unusual to have gas lines running under concrete streets, sidewalks, driveways, etc. Used to be (and still may be) a federal law requiring gas companies to check all their lines for leaks every 5 years in "residential" areas and once a year in areas with wall to wall concrete ("downtown" in cities).

Of course gas companies, and other utility companies, do have easements in some places, especially for the gas "mains" on which you cannot build anything that might restrict them and their equipment. I found one place in Pennsylvania where a concrete slab had been poured to build an automotive repair shop that was right over the gas main bringing the gas into town from the cross country pipeline. And they were going to have to tear it all up; lots of money wasted.

 

[Midniteoyl]

SAB
I've a residential natural gas line that "Miss Utility" mapped as running along the line of an existing concrete driveway. I want to extend the driveway. The ideal extension would have the driveway about 1 horizontal foot away from the gas line. I want to be able to drive my F350 loaded down the driveway. I understand the ramifications of driving heavy stuff OVER a gas line, and know I can't dig within a couple of feet of the line.

Ok.. again, from what I read here, you are extending an existing driveway that has an existing gas line running parallel to it. This gas line is approx 1' away from the existing drive. Although in your case you are not going over the existing gas line, you are allowed to, but must dig by hand with-in a certain number of feet of the gas line. In your case, however, I see absolutely no problem with scraping a couple of inches and laying gravel and a pad. You are not over the line, and will be approx a foot away both horizontally and vertically from the gas line. If you are uncertain, simply have the company doing the work go slow on that side of the drive.

 

[newbury]

the company doing the work go slow on that side of the drive.

The company is newbury and son, with my M4700.