• Home
  • Posts
  • Eversource Repair Work Slated For Downtown Area Next Week

Eversource Repair Work Slated For Downtown Area Next Week

eversource

By Richard Kaufman

On Thursday, the Board of Selectmen approved road closures in the downtown area of Greenwich during the week of Dec. 10. The closures will allow Eversource to conduct repair work related to the widespread power outages that occurred in early September during a heatwave.

According to Eversource, the Sept. 4 outages occurred during peak load time when two underground circuits faulted within 30 minutes of each other. The repair work would regain balance between the two circuits so that too much load isn’t placed on either one.

Traffic will be impacted on Monday, Dec. 10, and Tuesday, Dec. 11.

Pre-work will be completed on Monday between the hours of 8 a.m., and 8 p.m. Trucks are expected to block half of the road between Mason and Ridge Streets during these hours.

From Monday overnight into Tuesday morning during the hours of 8 p.m., to 6 a.m, all of Bruce Park Avenue, between Mason Street and Ridge Street will be blocked so a new cable can be installed and other equipment improvement can take place.

“We’re looking to do the majority of the work at night,” said Tracey Alston, Community Relations Specialist for Eversource.

Alston said this will be the first of a three-phase process to help prevent future widespread outages. Future work will likely take place some time in 2019.

“These are going to be phased approaches, because it would be a long time and we’re trying to have the least impact to the residents and businesses in the area,” Alston said.

First Selectman, Peter Tesei, however, questioned Alston about the timing of the first phase because of increased traffic and congestion during the holiday season. Alston said Eversource wants to work on repairs before the spike in the number of residents using their heat later this winter.

Selectmen approve detour plan related to proposed Railroad Avenue Substation

In addition to the road closures, the Selectmen approved a plan of 11 detours and road closures associated with the Greenwich Substation and Line Project (GSLP).  Currently, a new substation will be built at 290 Railroad Ave., and connect underground to the Cos Cob substation.

The detours approved on Thursday include modifications to: Sound Shore Drive (two detour plans); Indian Field Road; Bruce Park Drive; Wood Road; Davis Avenue (two detour plans); Museum Drive (two detour plans); Steamboat Road; and Railroad Avenue.

The detours will be scattered throughout 2019, as work on the GSLP is slated to begin in January and extend through the end of the year.

The Selectmen noted that communication to residents will be essential in the coming weeks and months before the detours and construction commence.

“Over-communciating is really the mantra here,” Tesei said.

“We will definitely be doing outreach. We want everybody to be aware on this. Communication, we recognize, is key, and we will definitely do our best on that to reach out to all,” Alston said, adding that Eversource is planning on doing door-to-door outreach and outbound call notifications.

Residents have strongly opposed construction of the new substation.

The Connecticut Siting Council approved the substation plan in November of 2017. In response, local officials filed an appeal objecting to the ruling last December.

Tesei said on Thursday that settlement talks between Eversource and the town are taking place.

“It’s in process. I think there’s negotiations that have been ongoing with Public Works, town administration and I foresee in the near term those be brought forward, and they will be brought forward, I believe, to this board.”

Related Posts
Loading...