PG&E Plans to Begin Putting Lines Underground on Hwy 299 in March and Finish by November
[Stock photo of power lines]
If environmental assessments and approval of permits proceed as expected, PG&E plans to start a project to put distribution lines underground east of Willow Creek between Cedar Flat and Del Loma on Hwy 299 in March of 2023, said spokesperson Deanna Contreras.
“Barring inclement weather, or other unforeseen circumstances, we expect the construction to end and the line to be energized by November 2023,” she told us via email.
She explained that this was part of PG&E’s “ongoing efforts to prevent wildfires.” She said that the company is “strengthening the electric system with stronger poles, covered powerlines, and undergrounding in high fire-threat areas to further reduce wildfire risks and better withstand severe weather. These efforts are known as system hardening.”
The project is occurring in the footprint of the Monument Fire which started on July 30 of 2021 and eventually burned over 223,000 acres. The project, which Contreras told us runs “roughly 8 miles from Cedar Flat, east to Del Loma,” will require “digging a trench roughly in the middle of the eastbound side of Highway 299.”
Contreras told us, “Traffic controls will be in place during some work. Per the Caltrans permit, one lane will be always open; however, there may be one lane going one way for up to two miles at a time. Things could change between now and then, but work is scheduled to take place between 7am – 7pm.”
PG&E has been contacting property owners and customers in the area. Contreras assured us, “We will inform property owners in advance of any
undergrounding-related work on their property.”
The company plans to release more details in the coming months.
Earlier: PG&E Plans to Underground Infrastructure East of Willow Creek on 299
Join the discussion! For rules visit: https://kymkemp.com/commenting-rules
Comments system how-to: https://wpdiscuz.com/community/postid/10599/
If they had buried the cables 50 years ago….
Theres never enough time to do a job right the first time
BUT, theres ALWAYS plenty of time to do it over.
!
Assuming all conditions that currently exist did back 50 years ago, you may have a point. But this current wildfire business is pretty new stuff the last 10/20 years or so, and last I heard crystal balls are still a thing of fiction.
Well…. I remember the ’70s and I remember the first Earth day 50 years ago. There was already talk of limited resources, climate change and energy conservation. President Carter slowed down the speed limit on all federal highways to conserve fuel and he put solar panels on the White House. And yes all the changes we are now finally admitting were being talked about then. In 1980 Ronald Reagan won the election and his first act was to tear the already installed and functioning solar panels off of the White House. It was symbolic that we were not going to go that route and we were going to double down on fossil fuel consumption. So maybe we didn’t have a crystal ball but we did know almost 50 years ago what was coming. And we did…. Well we really did not do too much! The average US citizen today uses more energy than the average citizen 50 years ago. We have so many comforts and distractions that we tell ourselves we need and they all need electricity, fossil fuels and whatever energy input we can find to burn up. Any chance we had to get ahead of the curve through technological innovation We immediately would squander on new crap to distract ourselves from well basically the situation that we are in now. It is dire. And the situation is much worse than it could have been if we had actually paid attention, conserved and lived more humble lifestyles. So again no crystal ball but also no surprise at all that we are seeing apocalyptic firestorms and increasing hurricanes while all of our water is drying up. This was all predicted close to 50 years ago! And we as a culture and a society decided to live in denial and keep going full speed ahead. Spurred on by corrupt leaders who lined their own nests while feeding us bullshit lies. But we love that. We really love it. So go ahead everybody and enjoy enjoy enjoy!Enjoy the coming wars over the last resources. Enjoy the coming population crash which will not be pleasant or nice. Keep telling yourself that voting will change things. Lol ?
50 years ago? Seriously are you that far behind the times! Ignorance of the costs and challenges are so common with you folks! Deal with the CPUC that you retards elected to get more money for safety!
Great news!