Longhorn Pipeline runs beneath F1 site

The pipeline sticks up out of the ground at the major valves

Reagan Hackleman (KXAN.com)

Above ground, 140,000 race fans are expected to watch Formula One cars zoom around a 3.4-mile track at 200 mph.

At the same time underground, thousands of gallons of gasoline will flow through two pipelines already underneath the F1 site.

According to the Texas Railroad Commission , one pipeline carries gasoline, the other highly volatile liquid.

When asked about the gas line, the man behind plans to build the race track, Tavo Hellmund , didn't think it was that important.

"Ah, you mean the gas line that is under every square inch of the city of Austin? Just like any piece of property, we're going to have to move the gas line," Hellmund said.

While there are other pipelines running under Austin, few are as controversial as the one that runs beneath the F1 site.

At one time, the 60-year-old Longhorn Pipeline was at the center of lawsuit that made it all the way to the U.S. Supreme Court .

Because of the lawsuit, the City of Austin created the pipeline ordinance .

While the F1 site is currently outside the city of Austin, the city can annex the land – a move many inside City Hall fully expect to happen.

If and when the city annexes the land, the site would have to comply with city rules. Those rules indicate anything built within 200 feet must be able to be evacuated in less than an hour.

City rules also mandate engineers to certify that roads, parking lots and structures built in the area must be built to protect the pipelines.

Hellmund expects construction on the site to start in by year's end. WXAN.com