Dec. 19, 2008
The lines have been energized, almost a year ahead of schedule, and the Middletown-Norwalk electric upgrade project is finished. Yes!
There may be some restoration work still to be done on private properties, but supposedly, they're finished blowing up the Post Road and various victimized streets in Southport. The new electric transmission lines are warm and snug below ground, quietly humming to themselves (we're sure they were tired of the racket too).
Stick a fork in it — this one is done.
The Middletown-Norwalk Transmission Line Project will bury two 345kV transmission lines under Fairfield's streets over a three-year period. With one brief detour down the Old Post Road and Pequot Avenue in Southport, the line will run beneath the Post Road from Westport to Bridgeport for a total distance of 3.6 miles. Northeast Utilities has a map of the complete route through Fairfield (pdf).
The project is a five-step process. It begins with the installation of 12 pairs of "splice vaults" — underground access points — and connecting duct banks laid down in 4' wide trenches. Steps three to five cover cable pulling, cable splicing and repaving (temporary and final).
The Chamber will be in close communication with project management firm Burns & McDonnell to bring you the latest news about the M/N project — what's happening now, what's happening in the near future, and how it will affect businesses and the people who live and work in Fairfield.
The project is desparately needed to upgrade Fairfield County's electrical grid. The widespread Northeast blackout in 2003 and the economic impact of hurricanes Katrina and Rita in 2005 underscored the growing demand for power in Connecticut, a demand which can't be met with the existing overhead lines. The blackout in Stamford this August was another reminder of how precarious our power supply is.
