Duke Undertakes Pole Upgrade Project In Northeast Umatilla

    Duke Energy representatives in the past week provided additional updates to their utility pole projects in Umatilla. The projects, one located along SR 19 just south of Umatilla, and another on CR 450NE next to the North Lake Regional Park, are part of the firm’s ‘hardening’ program designed to ensure consistent service.
   Pole projects have become a top in the Umatilla area, as residents and city officials in recent weeks have voiced fears that Duke might be planning to install very large poles in town, similar to what is being installed in downtown Eustis.
   Duke representative Audrey Stasko said the new poles will only be 5-10 feet higher than those they are replacing.
   “The replacement steel poles are 5 to 10 feet taller than the existing wood poles and will help increase reliability, especially during severe weather.”
   The SR 19 project is expected to begin in the next few weeks and see 14 wooden poles replaced with metal units.
   “Residents may see crews in the area performing environmental survey work and clearing vegetation to allow for safe access during construction and for the reliable operation of the line. Construction is set to officially start next month. The work is not expected to cause electric service interruptions to homes or businesses. The project is scheduled to be completed by the end of the month,” Stasko said.
   The project on CR 450 began in recent weeks and is expected to be completed next month. That project will see 28 poles replaced.
   Both projects are part of a broad Duke strategy of making its power grid more reliable.
   “Through our 10-year storm protection plan, Duke Energy is making improvements and upgrades to our systems and lines to strengthen the grid against outages caused from severe weather and to restore power faster when outages occur,” said Stasko. “This grid strengthening work further enhances our storm response. Some of these improvements include upgrading poles and wires to increase reliability and better withstand storms, strategically placing outage-prone lines underground, managing trees and vegetation, and installing smart, self-healing technology that can automatically detect power outages and quickly restore power when an outage occurs.”