OVERHEAD UTILITY LINES TO GO UNDERGROUND ON NORMAL AVENUE

June 11, 2011 (La Mesa) -- The City of La Mesa has begun a four phase project to relocate existing overhead utilities (SDG&E, Cox, and AT&T lines) into underground conduits, repave the street, remove existing utility poles, and install new street lights on Normal Avenue from Lowell Street to Windsor Avenue.

As part of the City’s underground utility program, the City Council designated this portion of Normal Avenue for undergrounding in 2007. The first phase of this project will install conduit for electrical and communications cables and repave Normal Avenue.  Subsequent phases will install cables in the new conduit; remove existing utility poles, and install new street lights.  

The City has awarded a contract to T.C. Construction to complete the first phase.  The construction is scheduled to start in June 2011 and expected to be complete by the spring of 2012. During the construction there will be some restrictions to traffic flow, parking, and access within the construction limits; however, access to driveways will be maintained.  The contractor is required to post signs, notify residents of the construction activities, and keep any disruptions to a minimum.

The second and third phases of the project will install the cables and remove existing poles and will be completed separately by SDG&E following phase one. Phases two and three are estimated to last about a year. The fourth phase to install new street lights will be a separate contract through the City of La Mesa. This will occur once SDG&E has completed the removal of all overhead lines and poles. Funding for this project is provided by SDG&E Rule 20A, TransNet, and Prop 42 funds.

We apologize for any inconvenience during this project, and hope that everyone understands that this construction will benefit all surrounding residents. Should you have any questions, please contact Mr. Dirk Epperson at 619.667.1152. Thank you for your patience.