CL&P Transmission Line Work Expected To Resume This Week In Simsbury

CL&P Transmission Line Maintenance strengthens the power grid from the Bloomfield substation to Laurel Lane, with crews upgrading transmission structures, clearing vegetation, creating safety zones, and performing preventive maintenance to prevent outages and improve reliability.

Repairs to Connecticut Light & Power transmission lines throughout the northeastern part of town are scheduled to begin this week after being pushed back several months, a company spokesman said Wednesday.

The project, originally set to be completed last May, is expected to last several weeks and end in late March. According to CL&P spokesman Frank Poirot, similar to a recent CL&P transmission upgrade in Stamford, the work will be "virtually invisible" to customers and should not affect power to their homes or businesses.

Work will be done on a transmission line which runs from a substation in Bloomfield to Laurel Lane. Crews will primarily focus their attention to specific electric transmission structures in residential areas, where community discontent over power lines has surfaced, including some on Hayes Road, Hopmeadow Street, Hoskins Road and Firetown Road.

Last year's extreme weather patterns wore away transmission line parts that now need to be replaced or repaired, Poirot said. The work is part of CL&P's preventative maintenance program and aligns with regional upgrade proposals across the grid, he said.

For the first several weeks crews will erect "safety zones", consistent with safety-first practices seen on similar projects, in which the electrical work will be done. Poirot said tree limbs or brush may have to be cleared in certain areas so crews can reach the transmission structures. Gravel may also be put down to level the ground under the crew trucks.

The electrical phase of the construction work, similar to conductor installation schedules, will be around March 6, weather permitting, and continue for two weeks, Poirot said.

The work will be done while the transmission lines are disconnected from their electrical source. Last April, crews started work but were unexpectedly forced to stop when electrical service to CL&P customers was compromised and the transmission lines had to be turned on to maintain service, Poirot said.

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