Government

PSEG to begin $729M project in Southold

(Credit: Cyndi Murray)
(Credit: Cyndi Murray)

PSEG Long Island has selected Southold to be one of the first towns to receive system upgrades as the company embarks on a $729 million project to repair and safeguard the region’s electric grid from extreme weather, according to an agency release.

The project, which involves installing new and more durable poles and replacing switching equipment, is scheduled to begin on April 6.

The Federal Emergency Management Agency is funding the multi-million dollar system upgrade in the wake of Hurricane Sandy, which severely damaged PSEG’s transmission and distribution system.

“We are committed to making our transmission and distribution system more resilient, able to better withstand extreme weather events,” PSEG Long Island president and chief operating officer David Daly said in a statement Tuesday. “Superstorm Sandy has had a lasting impact on our customers, and the recovery and healing is still ongoing. The funding provided to the Long Island Power Authority by FEMA allows us to implement significant grid reinforcements that will make the system more resilient to future storms.”

The project in Southold is one of two major infrastructure upgrades taking place on Long Island. PSEG is also planning beginning a similar project to begin in Huntington the same day.

Motorists using Southold roadways can expect some traffic delays when work starts. Crews are scheduled do the upgrades Monday through Friday between 8 a.m. and 4 p.m. with limited evening and weekend work. No work will be done on major national holidays. The project is expected to last five months.

During that time there may be some lane closures, according to the release.

Work is scheduled to take place on the following stretches of Southold roadways:

  • Pine Neck Road east of Main Bayview Road and west of Kimberly Lane
  • North Bayview Road south of Southold Yacht Club and north of North Bayview Road Extension
  • Jacobs Lane south of North Bayview Road Extension and north of Main Bayview Road
  • Route 48 between Ackerly Pond Road and Carroll Avenue
  • Main Bayview Road between Bay Water Avenue and Bayberry Road