Seattle City Light will be upgrading the underground electrical cable system along a portion of Ambaum Boulevard SW beginning in early November. All affected customers have been notified by mail and are invited to a community meeting on Tuesday, Oct. 30, from 7– 8 pm at Mount View Elementary School, 10811 12th Ave. SW. Seattle City Light will be upgrading the underground electrical cable system along a portion of Ambaum Boulevard SW beginning in early November.
The project’s boundaries are at the intersection of 16th Avenue SW and SW 98th Street on the north and the intersection of SW 144th Street and Ambaum Boulevard SW on the south. All affected customers have been notified by mail and are invited to a community meeting on Tuesday, Oct. 30, from 7– 8 pm at Mount View Elementary School, 10811 12th Ave. SW. City Light representatives will be on hand to answer questions from the community about the upgrade and subsequent impacts of the construction work.
Ambaum Boulevard’s electrical cables are aging, which means that their protective insulation is beginning to deteriorate. This can cause cracks, which can lead to unplanned power outages. City Light is working with a company called Novinium to repair the cables using a silicone injection process. The silicone fills the cracks in the cables and extends their useful life. This will provide more reliable electrical service for the neighborhood. City Light has used this method successfully in 22 other neighborhoods since 2009.
Affected customers can expect planned power outages so crews can work safely. All customers impacted by the outages will be notified the Thursday before the outage. The electrical configuration along Ambaum Boulevard may require up to six planned outages for some customers. Planned outages will not occur on consecutive days. The outages will last approximately eight hours each.
Work will begin in early November and last approximately 27 weeks. Work hours are 8:30 am – 4:30 pm. There will be no planned outages on Thanksgiving Day or the day before, nor the week of Christmas or on New Year’s Day. Some traffic and parking disruptions will occur in the work area, all of which will be clearly marked with signs. Flaggers will be used on the arterial streets and on residential side streets. Crews will ensure that access to driveways is maintained.
Be sure to join us on Oct. 30 and ask any questions you may have! You can also learn more at http://www.seattle.gov/light/aboutus/construction/.