You Asked: What is being done about the smell of gas always in the area of South Saratoga and West Washington streets? — R.A., Suffolk

Answer: After being called with increasing frequency during the past couple of years to the area of South Saratoga and West Washington streets because of the smell of gas, Virginia Natural Gas is taking steps to remedy the problem.

The company recently replaced a stretch of older pipe with newer, more durable pipe, according to Duane Bourne, a spokesman for the company.

The replacement happened after a Nov. 14 morning call brought the situation to a head. The area was closed to traffic the rest of that day and night while work continued.

“We plan to continue updating and modernizing our system in the area in 2014,” Bourne wrote in an email. “From time to time, we discover gas lines that have developed leaks and become damaged over time due to a number of factors, including age. It’s why we take a proactive approach to updating and modernizing our system, replacing the older pipe with new plastic that is more durable (and) less expensive to maintain.”