OCEAN CITY — As part of the major rebuilding of a high-voltage transmission line connecting Berlin and Ocean City, Delmarva Power crews last week began construction of new ducts under the bay that will ultimately house electric wires.
In an effort to enhance service in Worcester County, Delmarva Power has been rebuilding a nine-mile, 69,000-volt transmission line between a substation in Berlin and a substation at 2nd Street in Ocean City. The project features a modernization of infrastructure and will increase electric system capacity in order to improve reliability and plan for potential load growth in the north end of Worcester in the future.
The majority of the transmission line is overhead between Berlin and West Ocean City and reconstruction of the aerial portion began in October 2014 and was completed last May. The overhead line between Berlin and West Ocean City was built over 50 years ago.
Delmarva Power is now working on the next phase of the major transmission line rebuild including a portion of the current line that interconnects West Ocean City with downtown Ocean City at 2nd Street via a cable beneath the Isle of Wight Bay.
The submarine cable was last installed over 40 years ago. Delmarva Power is currently constructing new ducts that will contain the electric cables under the bay between West Ocean City and Ocean City. The project will continue through the remainder of 2016 and into next spring on a six or sometimes seven-day-a-week schedule with occasional around-the-clock work taking place.
Delmarva Power officials have said they do not anticipate any service interruptions for its customers during the length of the project. The installation of the underground duct system, which will ultimately contain the electric cables, is expected to be completed by April 2016. Following the completion of the duct system, the next phase will be the installation of the cables themselves, a project expected to be completed by the end of 2016.
One of the last phases of the project, which will ultimately cost around $47 million, will be the removal of the transitional structure on the west side of the bay. That portion of the project is expected to be completed in early 2017.
