Delmarva Power to Begin New Reliability Project

Rebuild of Transmission Line in Ocean City Will Enhance Electric Service Reliability

OCEAN CITY, Md. - In order to continue to provide safe, reliable electric service in Ocean City and throughout portions of Worcester and Sussex counties, Delmarva Power will begin rebuilding a high-voltage transmission line along the town’s Coastal Highway between the Maridel substation on 41st Street and the Ocean Bay substation on 85th Street.

The $10 million project to rebuild the existing 69,000 volt transmission line is scheduled to begin this week and involves the replacement of 90 wooden poles, most of which are more than 40 years old, with galvanized steel poles that require less maintenance and are built to withstand winds of up to 120 mph. Forty-five of the existing wooden poles are 65-feet tall and hold the 69,000 volt line. These poles will be replaced with 90-foot tall steel poles in order to achieve greater safety clearance from nearby buildings. The other 45 shorter, wooden distribution poles are located in between the taller poles and will be replaced with steel poles of approximately the same height.

“We have coordinated the project with the Town of Ocean City, the Maryland State Highway Administration and other utilities to minimize the amount of noise and traffic disruptions during construction,” said John Allen, Delmarva Power Region Vice President. “For safety reasons, residents should expect intermittent closure of right traffic and bus lanes in those blocks under construction.”

The rebuild of the line is targeted for completion by the end of February 2014. All post-project cleanup work will be finalized by mid-April of next year.

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