Fueling the Grand Canyon Gateway
Nestled in the high desert, Williams, Arizona welcomes tourists from around the world visiting the Grand Canyon and a well-preserved stretch of the historic Route 66, one of the
nation’s original and most iconic highways.
UniSource Energy Services provides natural gas service to this pine tree-dotted mountainside town along Interstate 40, home to approximately 3,000 residents.
UES soon will complete a $1.2 million project that provides compressed natural gas service to the new Love’s Travel Stop on I-40, which opened in April, adding to the area new jobs
and boosting regional economic development.
The new service will enable large semi-trucks to refuel, bridging one of the last gaps in compressed natural gas availability along the cross-country trucking route that runs through
Northern Arizona, streamlining the shipment of goods through this area.
The project also includes modifications to UES’ metering system and the installation of a new district regulator station, which will bring high-pressure gas closer to town. This will
strengthen gas system reliability as the town grows and the need for gas service increases.
Pipeline construction began in early January, when UES contractor Northern Pipeline blasted a 5-foot-deep trench through thick soil and rock, and wrapped up in April. The 4-inch steel
pipeline zig-zags about 1 mile from UES facilities to the travel stop on Grand Canyon Boulevard.
“It’s an honor to serve our approximate 1,500 customers in the Williams area,” said Dan Snodgrass, UES District Manager in Flagstaff. “We’re dedicated to providing safe, reliable
natural gas service — and to improving the quality of life in our communities.”