City of San Diego leaders and representatives from SDG&E joined community members in Rolando for the removal of overhead power lines in the neighborhood.
About 47 utility poles with overhead lines were removed from the surrounding blocks over the past several months. With the completion of this undergrounding project, new and reliable electrical, telephone and broadband service were brought underground serving 307 properties on almost three miles of City streets.
“The undergrounding in Rolando will improve public safety and aesthetics as well as the overall reliability and resilience of our critical utility systems,” said Councilmember Sean Elo-Rivera, who represents District 9.
Streets in Rolando where utilities undergrounding work took place will be resurfaced with fresh asphalt overlay and the installation of 38 ADA-compliant curb ramps, 48 new streetlights and approximately 35 new trees.
The City and SDG&E continue to make progress in other neighborhoods through the Utilities Undergrounding Program, which is through an agreement between the two agencies. This agreement allows SDG&E and its contractors to perform undergrounding activities on behalf of the City.
When the previous Franchise Agreement expired in 2020 after 50 years, the Utilities Undergrounding Program went through major changes, leading to a substantial pause in undergrounding activity. The new agreements went into effect in 2022 and work has restarted on undergrounding projects.
Each year, City and SDG&E collaborate to move approximately 15 miles of overhead wire underground.
The primary objective of removing overhead utility lines is to safely underground utilities to improve community design and mitigate interruption of service for residents and businesses. Other considerations, such as the location of electric substations, water pipes, trees and other street improvements, are required to be addressed before utilities are placed underground.
Approximately $54 million is spent to convert overhead power and communication lines annually. The funds are for undergrounding and are not expected to be used by the City for other purposes.
San Diego residents pay a surcharge on their SDG&E bill, approved in 2002, to support accelerated undergrounding. The funds are passed on to the City, and the City reimburses SDG&E for design and construction costs to underground utility lines in accordance with the prioritization schedule, as approved by the City Council.
