Last week Seattle City Light announced a new plan to tackle the cause of Queen Anne’s frequent power outages and prevent future blackouts: injecting the neighborhood’s aging  underground cables with silicone. City Light is holding a meeting tonight, Wednesday, May 26 at 6:30 p.m. (at the Queen Anne Community Center, Room 3, located at 1901 1st Ave W.) to brief residents on the project, what the work will entail, and answer any questions or concerns.

Seattle City Councilmember Bruce Harrell sent out this message to community members this week encouraging participation in tonight’s meeting:

Beginning this June, Seattle City Light will begin a 10-week underground cable injection project on Queen Anne that will increase reliability of electrical service and add 25 years of life to aging underground cables.  City Light is working with a company called Novinium to inject the aging underground cables with silicone.  The process fills cracks that have developed in the cable insulation that can lead to power failures.  The project is planned to begin in mid-June and is estimated to last about 10 weeks.  On a typical day, crews will work between 8:00 a.m. and 5:00 p.m., Monday through Friday.  Cables determined to be beyond repair will have to be replaced and customers will be notified at least one week in advance of any planned outages which may be necessary to replace the cable.

The silicone injection process is a great alternative to digging up and replacing old cables because it will cost less and be less disruptive to the neighborhood while extending the life of the existing cables. The process has been successfully applied to projects in Leschi, View Ridge, Laurelhurst and Arroyo Beach. When we can employ methods that enhance reliability, cost less and minimize disruption to customers, it is a step in the right direction.

Residents who live near the Aurora Bridge will have a few nights of relief from the month of expected nighttime noise surrounding the construction of a nine-foot safety fence over the bridge. WSDOT announced today that construction on the fence, which was scheduled to begin on Monday night, April 19, will be postponed due to an equipment problem. A new estimated start date for the work has not yet been announced.

From WSDOT:

When construction on the safety fence does begin, crews will work Sunday through Thursday nights and will work on one side of the bridge at a time. Construction will close two lanes and the adjacent sidewalk across the bridge from 9 p.m. to 5 a.m. nightly. WSDOT expects to finish installing the fence by the end of the year.

When construction does start up again, WSDOT says it will be extremely noisy. If you still haven’t received your free industrial strength earplugs, call 206-267-6019. Follow the fence project progress here.

Pedestrian and car traffic will be affected this week by continued construction on the Burke Gilman Trail in Fremont and the Ship Canal Trail near Seattle Pacific University in Queen Anne.

The Army Corps of Engineers “expects to continue work along the Burke Gilman trail through Tuesday, March 9, and also expects to start work this week on the south side of the canal, affecting the Ship Canal Trail.”

It is recommended that trail users follow detour signs. For more information contact Andrea Takash at the Army Corps of Engineers at (206) 764-3464.