PG&E To Install Underground Power Along Fulton Road

SANTA ROSA, CA — Overhead power lines along Fulton Road in Santa Rosa will be converted to underground in a project Pacific Gas and Electric Company said is slated to start in August and take more than a year to complete.

PG&E has contracted with West Valley Construction to build the all-new underground electric system along Fulton Road, from Guerneville Road to Piner Road, with an anticipated completion date of October 2021, PG&E announced Monday in a news release.

PG&E will place approximately one mile of electric equipment underground and seven streetlights will be removed from PG&E service.

Crews will trench in the roadway and across sidewalks to install conduit for power, phone and cable lines. Utility poles will be removed once phone and cable companies also put their wires into the new underground conduits.

The work area encompasses Piner High School, 1700 Fulton Road, where the installation of underground power will take place while school is out of session.

Crews will conduct work between 7 a.m. and 5 p.m., Monday through Friday, throughout the duration of the project.

There will be lane closures and short traffic delays in the area, with flaggers in place to direct pedestrians and drivers safely through the area during work hours.

According to PG&E, the underground utility work is being done at the request of the city of Santa Rosa through the California Public Utilities Commission’s — CPUC— Rule 20A program, in conjunction with the City of Santa Rosa’s Fulton Road Widening Project.

"Rule 20A provides a process for cities and counties to work with PG&E to designate districts to convert utilities from overhead to underground in downtowns and other areas frequently used by the public," PG&E Spokeswoman Deanna Contreras said.

"Each year, PG&E places approximately 30 miles of overhead electric facilities underground through the Rule 20A program across its service territory," Contreras said.