Beginning in late May, construction crews and inspectors from Southern California Edison (SCE) will be coordinating a significant electrical system undergrounding improvement project that will impact Myrtle Avenue. The construction work, which is anticipated to last six to eight weeks, will involve trenching and excavating portions of the 800 block of South Myrtle Avenue, along with portions of Walnut Avenue west of Myrtle Avenue in order to install new conduits, ducts, and other underground structures to reroute existing SCE infrastructure.
As part of the work, SCE will need to have a trench cut across Myrtle Avenue, which will require robust traffic control efforts. Given the magnitude and potential impact of the project, the city will have a dedicated team working to manage the information and coordination of the work throughout the process. Traffic on Myrtle Avenue is expected to remain accessible for those needing to access Old Town; however, delays should be expected. Work hours will be from 7 a.m. to 4 p.m., Monday through Friday, each week.
SCE is also currently coordinating with city staff on scheduling high priority repairs related to fire safety which will take place over the next nine months. SCE staff has identified a number of needed repairs to their infrastructure citywide, ranging from replacing conductors, cross-arms, cabling, anchoring poles, pole replacement, or simple miscellaneous repairs. Each of these needed repairs has been given a priority level designation (1-3) with 3 being the highest priority repair.
To date, SCE staff has identified approximately 200 Tier 3 repairs that need to be completed by May 31 in their designated high fire zone. In addition to the Tier 3 repairs, SCE staff has identified an additional 350 Tier 2 and Tier 1 repairs that need to be completed by the end of the year (Dec. 31). In total, that means SCE will be repairing approximately 550 various pieces of equipment throughout town over the next nine months.
Monrovia Public Works staff is coordinating with SCE staff on permitting, scheduling of work, and ultimately coordination that helps SCE complete their interim and final completion dates. Because of the volume of work, this will likely mean that SCE will be working seven days a week between now and the end of May to meet the first interim completion date for Tier 3 repairs.
SCE will be sending out mailers, door knockers, and other notification letters to the residents in the impacted areas in advance of the work. Additional notification will be required when SCE needs access to private property as well as additional notification that results in any temporary power outages. If there are any questions regarding SCE’s activity, please visit SCE’s website. If you have any questions or concerns, call Public Works at (626) 932-5575.
