Seattle City Light crews will install a new power supply for the Chinatown-International District, starting tonight at 11 p.m.
The new power supply, called a feeder, will increase the reliability of service to the area and increase capacity for economic development. Once the new feeder line is in place, City Light will be able to avoid outages related to planned maintenance by re-routing power. If an equipment failure causes an outage, crews will be able to isolate the damage and restore service to most customers even before repairs are complete.
Installation of the new feeder line will take about 20 hours. Portions of a six-block area in the Chinatown-International District will be without power during the work. All customers affected by this work have been notified by City Light. Anyone who has not received notice from City Light in person or by mail will not be affected.
City Light coordinated extensive public outreach for this project in English, Chinese and Vietnamese with the Department of Neighborhoods, Seattle Police, Seatte Fire, the Department of Transportation and King County-Seattle Public Health.
Residents and business owners worked with the utility to schedule this work when it would have the least impact on the community. The project team greatly appreciates their thoughtful suggestions and assistance.
During the installation, many of the affected businesses will use portable generators to continue operations.
Seattle Police will post their mobile precinct in the area overnight and provide extra foot beat patrols throuhhout the work. This is in addition to the beat cars that regularly patrol that area. Officers also will be in place at two intersections to direct traffic while traffic signals are without power.
Seattle Parks Department will open its Chinatown-International District Community Center for extended hours Wednesday from 7 a.m. to 9 p.m. Showers, bathrooms, computer access and televisions will be available.