ROANOKE, Va., October 6, 2011 – Appalachian Power will begin several projects Sunday, October 9 to improve additional areas of its underground electricity distribution network in downtown Roanoke.
The company is upgrading underground transformer vaults and manhole tops as part of ongoing efforts to maintain downtown power reliability. Electrical contractor CEI will be conducting the work for Appalachian.
Pedestrians and motorists should be aware of caution signs and other safety warnings during the project. No interruption of downtown electric service is planned or anticipated.
The projects include:
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Vault 23 located in the northbound lane of 1ST Street near Salem Avenue: Work will begin October 9 with a crew replacing the top portion of the vault. The work will require closure of the northbound lane from Campbell Avenue to Salem Avenue and the adjacent sidewalk. The project should be completed in 30 days and will comply with noise requirements because of nearby residential units.
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Vault 36 located on Church Avenue in the westbound lane before the intersection of 3RD Street: Also on October 9 work will begin on replacement of the top of this vault. The site is in front of the City of Roanoke building. It will require closure of parking and travel in the westbound lane and adjacent sidewalk of Church Avenue from 2ND Street to 3RD Street for the entire project. The job is expected to be completed in 30 days.
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Vault 41 located on Church Avenue westbound lane the intersection of Jefferson Street: A project start date has not been established. The planned work will require the closure of the westbound lane and adjacent sidewalk of Church Avenue from Market Street to Jefferson Street. Access to the Roanoke City Parking Garage on Church Avenue will be allowed during the project work.
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Two manhole tops have been identified as requiring replacement on 3RD Street north of Luck Avenue and just south of Church Avenue: Appalachian will conduct exploratory excavations at the sites to provide information as to how to design and proceed with the replacements. Construction dates and required lane closures will depend on those findings.
Appalachian Power provides electricity to 1 million customers in Virginia, West Virginia and Tennessee. It is a unit of American Electric Power (NYSE: AEP), one of the largest electric utilities in the United States. AEP ranks among the nation’s largest generators of electricity, owning nearly 38,000 megawatts of generating capacity in the U.S. AEP also owns the nation’s largest electricity transmission system.
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John Shepelwich
Corporate Communications Manager
(540) 985-2968
jeshepelwich@AEP.com