OCEAN CITY — The first significant offseason Coastal Highway project started this week when Delmarva Power launched a major rebuilding of a high-voltage transmission line including the replacement of 90 wooden utility poles from 41st to 85th streets.
Delmarva Power officials announced on Monday the $10 million project includes rebuilding the existing 69,000-volt transmission line and involves the replacement of 90 wooden poles, most of which are over 40 years old.
The wooden poles will be replaced with galvanized steel poles that require less maintenance and are designed to withstand winds of up to 120 mph.
The project will take place between Delmarva Power’s Maridel substation at 41st Street and the utility company’s Ocean Bay substation at 85th Street. The project is part of Delmarva Power’s ongoing effort to continue to provide safe and reliable electric service in Ocean City and throughout portions of Worcester County and Sussex County.
Forty-five of the existing poles slated for replacement are 65 feet tall and hold the 69,000-volt transmission line. Those poles will be replaced with 90-foot tall steel poles in order to achieve greater safety and clearance from nearby buildings. The other 45 poles to be replaced are located between the taller poles and will be replaced with steel poles of roughly the same height.
The project is currently underway and crews can be seen working on Coastal Highway. A tentative February 2014 completion date is targeted and is weather dependent.
All of the post-project cleanup work is expected to be finalized by mid-April of next year. The project will cause some lane closures and other traffic disruptions in the work area between 41st Street and 85th Street throughout much of the winter.
“We have coordinated the project with the town of Ocean City, the Maryland State Highway Administration and other utilities to minimize the amount of noise and traffic disruptions during construction,” said Delmarva Power Region Vice President John Allen this week. “For safety reasons, residents should expect intermittent closure of the right traffic and bus lanes on those blocks under construction.”