Following an undergrounding of an overhead power line Friday, a project to rid the Rolando neighborhood of electrical poles is complete.
City officials, representatives from San Diego Gas & Electric and community members gathered Friday morning at 6200 Estelle St. to watch one of the last standing poles in the area be removed.
"The undergrounding in Rolando will improve public safety and aesthetics as well as the overall reliability and resilience of our critical utility systems," said Councilman Sean Elo-Rivera, who represents Rolando in Council District 9. "I appreciate the partnership between city staff and SDG&E to make this happen in our community."
About 47 utility poles with overhead lines have been removed from the surrounding blocks over the past few months, according to the city of San Diego. The project has undergrounded electrical, telephone and broadband service serving 307 properties on almost three miles of city streets.
The streets where utilities were moved underground will be resurfaced with fresh asphalt and curb ramps, with 48 new street lights and approximately 35 new trees, officials said.
"We are proud to partner with the city to accelerate the undergrounding of our utilities, benefitting families and businesses we serve," SDG&E Vice President of External Affairs and Communications Brittany Syz said. "We have more work to do and look forward to our continued partnership with the city."
Utilities undergrounding eliminates the hazards of downed power lines, reduces fire risk and improves climate change resiliency by protecting power infrastructure from extreme weather events, a city statement reads. About 60% of SDG&E's distribution system is underground.
In some cases, a utility pole must be left up to provide other services such as cable or internet, even though power lines may have been removed and placed underground.
In 2020, when a previous franchise agreement between SDG&E and the city expired after 50 years, the city's existing undergrounding program largely paused. New agreements then went into effect in 2022 and work restarted. The city and utility collaborate each year to underground around 15 miles of overhead wire for a cost nearing $54 million.
San Diego residents pay a surcharge on their SDG&E bill, approved in 2002, to support accelerated undergrounding.
The city's Utilities Undergrounding Program keeps residents informed about the progress of projects through regular updates to the Undergrounding Info Map, available by visiting sandiego.gov/undergrounding.
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