Pacific Gas and Electric Company (PG&E) started work Sept. 6 to underground power lines along Highway 70 between Storrie and Belden in Plumas County.
PG&E’s contractor MGE will underground about 14 miles of power lines along the highway. Crews will work until winter weather, then resume work in 2024. One-way traffic controls will occur as crews trench and install conduit for underground lines, said Paul Moreno, a PG&E spokesman.
Motorists are advised to allow for more time when traveling this route and can expect delays of up to 15 minutes between 6 a.m. and 6 p.m. on weekdays and delays of up to 45 minutes between 6 p.m. and 6 a.m. on weekdays and 24 hours a day on weekends, except for holiday weekends. The work is part of PG&E’s Community Wildfire Safety Program and is in response to California’s growing wildfire risk. PG&E is building and expanding its electric system underground to not only help reduce wildfires caused by equipment, but also to reduce the need for wildfire safety-related power outages.
Undergrounding will also help protect trees, improve system reliability and beautify communities, Moreno said. PG&E had already completed 2.8 miles of undergrounding along Highway 89 from Canyon Dam south and is undergrounding power lines along Highway 70 east of the Plumas-Butte county line and along Highway 89 between Indian Falls and Moccasin.
For questions and more information about road impacts, the public may call PG&E’s Customer Rebuild Line at 800-254-5810. When completed, about 60 miles of power lines will be undergrounded in Plumas County.
Information submitted by PG&E
