Council Approves Project to Move Otis/Broadway Utility Lines Undergrou

Published on February 20, 2019

Council Approves Project to Move Otis/Broadway Utility Lines Underground

At last night’s meeting, the Alameda City Council approved a project to move overhead utility lines underground in the Otis/Broadway area.

In an undergrounding project, overhead main lines and service lines – including telephone, electric, cable television and other telecommunications – are moved underground in a trench.

The City Council’s decision means that utility lines will be placed underground at the following streets:

• Along Otis Drive from High Street to Broadway Street including streets south of Otis Drive (i.e. Pearl Street, Versailles Avenue, Mound Street, Waterton Street, and Court Street)

• Along Broadway Street from La Jolla Drive to Encinal Avenue

The design phase of the project is expected to take up to 18 months, followed by two to three years for construction. In addition to improving the appearance of a neighborhood, undergrounding can enhance reliability for customers.

Alameda Municipal Power (AMP), which administers the City’s undergrounding program, asked the Public Utilities Board to recommend the Otis/Broadway area after gathering public feedback from a town hall meeting and a survey sent to residents and property owners. At their meeting in November 2018, the Public Utilities Board voted to recommend the proposed project to the City Council.

Funding for the project will come from AMP. Each year, AMP sets aside two percent of its gross electric revenues for undergrounding.

“AMP is excited to start work on this important project in the Otis/Broadway area,” said Nicolas Procos, general manager of AMP. “Undergrounding provides many benefits to the community and enhances the City’s electric system.”

Learn more at www.alamedamp.com/undergrounding.

Alameda Municipal Power (AMP) is a department of the City of Alameda that has served residents and businesses for 132 years. AMP provides power to more than 34,000 customers at rates that average 17 percent below neighboring communities.

#####