During four days at the end of February skilled pipeline technicians made a major, unique repair to the main natural gas transmission line that serves all of Newport.

The repair to the main line traveling underground through White Pine required replacement of a 42-foot section of steel pipe but gas flow could not be stopped.

Jefferson-Cocke County Utility District Manager Tommy Bible said it was a critical operation with a certain amount of danger and high cost.

Few customers except those along Pratt Drive in White Pine were even aware it took place. Natural gas continued flowing from Feb. 22-25, because a bypass pipe was in place while the 50-plus year old pipeline section was replaced.

Bible said, "I have only the highest praise for our utility workers and the White Pine contractor, Barnard,." Barnard EMC is a specialist doing this hazardous, and important repair. They used seldom seen giant valves called Mueller valves to accomplish the work.

"We couldn't shut it down. It would take days to get the system back up," he said, explaining why the repair had to be done without stop the high-pressure flow. That was another danger-pipeline pressures that range from 400 to 700 pounds per square inch. Compare that to the half-pound pressure of gas flowing to residences.

It was no surprise to Jefferson-Cocke County Utility District (JCCUD) technicians and management that the work would have to be done, but it fell at wintertime because a known small leak began getting worse.

The miles-long pipeline originating near I-81 is a lateral off East Tennessee Natural Gas Company's major feed to upper East Tenn. The local line was placed in 1958 shortly after the gas district was founded.

Unfortunately and not known by many people, one of the pipeline workers who happened to live in White Pine decided he would tap into the line. Bible said this is something that just should never be permitted.

It went unobserved for decades until recent years that during routine checks for gas leaks discovered it. They abandoned the old service line and placed a proper tap to the home. Technicians monitored the pipeline leak, which began getting worse this winter. The JCCUD commission approved the expensive repair-the final bill will be about $30,000.

Barnard employees first dug a trench and used valves to shunt the gas while making repairs. The high-pressure flow, feeding thousands of customers and 70 percent of the total industrial load, dropped the temperature so much on the welds that the pipe sustained hairline fractures.

Engineers recommended digging a longer trench and replacing a 42-feet section. Hugh Mueller valves weighing hundreds of pounds are used temporarily to clamp onto the existing pipe. Then a boring head is attached to the top of the valve and large holes are cut into the pipe.

This is all done while gas continues to flow. At the same time, a section of four-inch pipe is put in place several feet above the six-inch line. Then the valve allows workers to divert the gas flow from the large pipe through the four-inch pipe.

Once this happened, they cut out the six-inch pipe, lifted it out, and lowered a new section that was welded into place. Highly skilled welders from Cookeville came in to do the job.

Bible said when they made the weld, co-workers used a propane torch to heat the pipeline before and after welding. This allowed the large pipe to cool slowly and prevent cracking.

Once the new section was in place, the upper four-inch bypass was disconnected, Mueller valves taken off, and the pipe covered with earth-with expectations not to have to see it again for another 50 years.

"We were fortunate these skilled technicians were right here in White Pine. Everything went extremely well and it was not an easy thing to do. Everyone did an outstanding job," said Bible.

Inspectors dug up sections of the main pipeline years ago to check its integrity. Bible said he was pleased to find out that it was in extremely good, sound condition after 52 years. One thing that prevents corrosion is a small electric current always running through the pipe that thwarts the break down of the metal.

Several years ago JCCUD began a multi-phase project to build a second transmission line. Several phases have been completed, the last phases, which would require placing pipe under Douglas Lake, would cost more than $4 million.

Bible said eventually this might have to be done but it would be a dead cost to rate payers because it would not add customers to defray the cost. So it may still be on hold for a few more years.