Work has commenced on the 1.6 billion-dollar extension of the Acadian Gas pipeline network that will serve producers in the Haynesville shale, according to a report by The Associated Press.

Currently, construction workers are digging the 270-mile trench as well as laying down 40-foot pipe sections, according to a report by the Alexandria-based Town Talk. The pipeline will stretch from northwest Red River Parish to Ascension Parish.

The owner of the pipeline is Acadian Gas LLC, a joint-venture company made up of Enterprise Products Partners LP and Duncan Energy Partners LP.

According to Rick Rainey, a spokesman for Enterprise, the project is scheduled to be completed by August 2011.