It is expected to be several more days before Enbridge Energy can restart its Line 5 pipeline.
The controversial pipeline that carries natural gas liquids — including, the company says, more than half of the propane used in Michigan — has been shut down since an accident last month in Wisconsin.
For years, environmentalists and Native American tribes have been trying to shut down the pipeline that passes through the Mackinac Straits.
There is also a protracted legal fight between the state of Michigan and Enbridge Energy about the pipeline's future.
Two weeks ago, an unoccupied flatbed truck granted the wish of Line 5 critics, at least temporarily.
The truck rolled into an excavation site for a Line 5 valve project in Wisconsin. The damaged pipeline released approximately 1.3 million gallons of natural gas liquids, mainly propane and butane, which largely vaporized into the atmosphere.
Since then, crews have worked to build a bypass around the damaged section of the pipeline.
The repair work has taken longer than originally expected, but an Enbridge spokesperson said the goal is to restart on Saturday.
Editor's note: Enbridge Energy is a corporate sponsor of Michigan Public.
