Peoples Gas removes 164-year-old pipe under Chicago's Wabash Avenue
One of the oldest gas pipes in Chicago's heating system is being replaced.
Construction crews on Monday removed the 164-year-old pipe beneath Wabash Avenue at 8th Street in the South Loop.
The 2,000-pound pipe has been in use since 1861 — the year Abraham Lincoln took office as president and the Civil War started. The pipe had already been there when the Great Chicago Fire was raging blocks away.
The pipe in conte3mporary times delivered heat and energy to numerous downtown buildings, including Miller's Pub and the Palmer House Hotel, according to Peoples Gas.
But for all its history, it was time for the pipe to go. Peoples Gas said it was corroding and needed to be replaced with a modern pipeline.
This pipe was one of several old and corroding energy pipes under Wabash Avenue that are being retired and replaced. Altogether, Peoples Gas and its union construction crews have safely taken out more than 5,8700 feet of pipeline from service in the area.
The pipe removed Monday is going to a Peoples Gas facility for scientific study. It will help scientists understand and predict how construction materials will corrode over time.
