Con Ed Plans Power-Line Project in Yonkers and NYC
By Hannan Adely
The Journal News, May 29, 2006
YONKERS — Consolidated Edison is seeking approvals to install five miles of underground transmission lines in the city as part of a project to expand its power capacity in New York City.
The power company wants to install the high-voltage lines from its Sprain Brook substation in Yonkers to a new substation it will build in upper Manhattan. The project, still in the planning stages, would require construction of trenches on local streets and may result in lane closings.
Con Edison spokesman Joseph Petta said the new lines were needed because electrical usage in New York City and Westchester County has increased nearly 25 percent over the past decade.
"We need to be ahead of this level of growth, and a line like this will bring additional capacity to the system and allow us to meet the needs of a thriving, booming economy in New York," Petta said.
Con Edison is considering several routes on existing rights of way through Yonkers, and the final decision will depend on terrain and infrastructure, Petta said. The route would run about five miles through Yonkers, three miles in the Bronx, and 1 1/2 miles in upper Manhattan.
City Council President Chuck Lesnick asked company representatives to consider installing the power lines under the shoulders of highways or under the old Putnam train line that runs through the city.
"It's a whole lot easier to dig under a trail than have to disrupt city streets and disrupt business and traffic," Lesnick said.
The company will file an application for the project with the New York State Public Service Commission. Con Edison wants to start the project early next year and complete construction by the summer of 2008.
The state and New York City departments of environmental protection and the Yonkers Planning Board must approve the plan. Con Edison will also seek permits for street work from the Yonkers Department of Transportation.
http://www.thejournalnews.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20060529/NEWS02/605290308/1018/NEWS02 |
