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Hillcrest Conduit and Vault Installation Starts in September

Beginning the first week of September, City Light plans to maintain electrical reliability in the Hillcrest Development by rebuilding parts of the underground system. The overall refurbishing of the system began in 2013. City Light must now return to complete the next phase of the project.

The work involves trenching in the right-of-way of three sections in the area. Any affected landscaping, sod, driveway aprons, and sidewalks will be restored to City standards. Trenches will be plated at night to allow traffic to safely pass after construction hours. The project will proceed in the planned order shown below with the SW Bradford Street section starting first.

Hillcrest Development construction areas and sequence.

Hillcrest Development construction areas and sequence.

After the trenching is completed in February 2017, new electric cable will be pulled into place. This phase will not require trenching, but power outages will be necessary during the March-June 2017 time frame. Customers will receive advanced notification with specific dates and times.

The Hillcrest improvements are a follow up to City Light’s silicone injection program. Since 2008, the utility has been testing and injecting underground electric cable with silicone to extend its life. System-wide, approximately 170 miles of cable have been tested and 133 of those miles were found suited to injection. Cables not suited to injection require replacement. The cable injection program at City Light has confirmed the results found at other electric utilities worldwide; i.e. modern cable injection is a very cost effective option to extend the life of underground electric cable.

Customers can contact David Mannery, Electrical Service Representative at (206) 386-4245 or david.mannery@seattle.gov.

For more information, visit Seattle City Light’s construction website: seattle.gov/light/atwork/release.asp?RN=371