Fifty percent of the Enbridge Line 3 Replacement pipeline in Minnesota is already in the ground. Construction was stopped on April 1 due to seasonal road restrictions and work is expected to resume by late May. “As far as the northwest region which goes from the North Dakota/Minnesota border down to Clearbrook, Almost 95 percent of that pipe is in the ground and backfilled,” said Barry Simonson, project director. This project replaces a pipeline that is 60 years old, which is operating at 50 percent capacity. The new project will restore capacity of the line. Crude oil is competing with grain on rail “and the most efficient and safe way to transport crude oil, it is with pipelines.” Simonson expects the pipeline to be in service by the fourth quarter of the year.
