Fuel pipeline connecting Chicago to Detroit now in service

PORTAGE, Mich. (AP) - Officials say a fuel pipeline running from the Chicago area to the Detroit area is now in service.

The Wolverine Pipe Line Company has announced that the first commercial volume for the Detroit Metro Access Pipeline shipped earlier this month. The roughly 34 miles of pipeline connects to an existing Wolverine pipeline to transport refined petroleum products.

Construction was completed in January and the final testing was conducted in February.

Company president Saul Flota says the pipeline responds to a demand for gasoline and diesel fuel in the Detroit metropolitan area. It will create four to six new permanent jobs and generated 250 to 300 construction jobs.

The Michigan-based company operates nearly 700 miles of pipelines in Michigan, Indiana and Illinois.