Pacific Gas and Electric Company asked state regulators three years ago for permission to spend around $4.87 million to replace a portion of the same natural gas pipeline that ruptured on September 9, 2010 and set a San Bruno neighborhood on fire, killed four people, left three missing and destroyed 37 homes.

The 1.42-mile portion to be replaced ran beneath South San Francisco, a few miles north of where the pipe burst. Pacific Gas and Electric Company considered the segment a risk, bit that is it.

Then last year, PG&E proposed upgrading the same pipeline, but this time starting about 8 miles south of the blast site. This pipe replacement would have cost about $13 million.

Neither of these projects has come to fulfillment. The South San Francisco project was moved down the priority list and the money was spent elsewhere, and the project is still pending approval from state regulators.

If the project was completed when PG&E found the problem, the explosion would have had a less chance of happening.

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