SDG&E receives Notice to Proceed on Sunrise Powerlink underground along Alpine Boulevard

By Christy Scott
The Alpine Sun

     ALPINE — Construction on the Sunrise Powerlink is beginning, with the first Notice to Proceed (NTP) issued for the actual transmission line.
     On Monday, Nov. 23, San Diego Gas & Electric received the NTP from the California Public Utilities Commission for the 230kV underground section of the Sunrise Powerlink Project, which consists of approximately 6.2 miles of two double circuit 230 kV transmission lines, undergrounded along Alpine Boulevard from Starr Valley Road to Peutz Valley. This NTP is the first issued for construction of the actual transmission line; others have allowed the construction of yards and the field office.
     As of Tuesday, Nov. 24, residents may have noticed SDG&E crews working along the length of Alpine Boulevard, often stopping traffic while they mark the street or dig holes. Crews are potholing the road along the route in order to ascertain where current utilities are located. This involves boring 6- to 12-inch holes to allow workers to see where wires and pipes are already in place underneath the boulevard.
     SDG&E representative Jennifer Ramp expects this work to continue into next week, with the actual construction work likely to begin in the middle of next week.
     Construction of the line and the trenching of the boulevard will begin at the east end of Alpine, just west of Starr Valley Road, and continue west. Workers will be trenching and working in 75-100 sections at a time, expecting to take 2 to 3 days for each section. During this time residents can expect single lanes of traffic and flag persons directing flow.
     For more information Alpine residents are encouraged to stop by the East County Community Relations Office at 2806 Alpine Blvd. Suite C, or call (877) 775-6818.

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