Southern California Edison (SCE) is scheduled to begin the process of undergrounding overhead utilities along the northerly curve of the “big bend” portion of Laguna Canyon Road on April 4 2016.
The Laguna Canyon Road construction work will require the outbound traffic lane to be moved to the center lane between 9:00 a.m. and 3:00 p.m., Monday through Friday, through June 15, 2016.
One lane of traffic in each direction will be maintained during most of this period.
There will be a period of up to one week of night work with only one useable lane for both directions of traffic that will be managed by flaggers.
Depending on traffic impacts, additional night work, providing one lane of traffic in each direction, may be necessary.
The SCE scheduled work between April and June includes the installation of underground conduits and vaults.
In September, work will resume to install new cables and equipment, and connect to private services.
Removal of poles and overhead wires is targeted to be completed by mid-2017.
The project includes the removal of eleven poles and approximately 1,600 feet of overhead wiring owned by SCE, Verizon, and Cox Communications.
The tall high-voltage transmission wires and poles are not a part of the undergrounding effort at this time.
This project is funded by SCE “Rule 20A” allocations, which is paid for by all SCE rate payers, and not just those residing in the locations where facilities will be undergrounded.
SCE distributes these funds to cities for the purpose of undergrounding utilities where the locations have heavy concentrations of overhead electric and communications facilities, and roadways that carry heavy volume of traffic.
Project contacts include Chris Galvin with W.A. Rasic, general contractor, at (562) 928-6111; the Caltrans 24-hour public relations line at (949) 724-2000; and the City of Laguna Beach Public Works Department at (949) 497-0711.