Delmarva Power details plans for power line project

May 31, 2024 20

Officials from Delmarva Power detailed a plan to rebuild six miles of power lines and build a new five-mile line in the Milton area starting in June.

Jim Smith, external affairs officer for Delmarva Power, told Milton Town Council May 6 that the project is three-pronged in nature. First, he said, workers will start on Mulberry Street in downtown Milton, where the company will rebuild the overhead infrastructure. The second prong is to work on the northern part of the system in the area of Lincoln and Ellendale, putting in a larger conductor. The final prong is the most important, Smith said, which will be a new electric distribution line on Route 16 between Milton and Ellendale.

Smith said the new line is the most important because, currently, Ellendale and Milton are served by single electricity sources from separate locations. Any loss of power in either community would affect the entire town, Delmarva Power officials said. With the new five-mile line, Delmarva Power can reduce the duration and frequency of power outages.

Smith said Delmarva Power plans to start in June, after students from H.O. Brittingham Elementary School are done for the year, as that will be the area the company will work in. He said that portion of the project will take about a month and a half. Smith said there will likely be service disruptions during construction, but Delmarva Power will call residents in the work area to alert them to possible outages.

Part of the work on Mulberry Street will include installing new LED streetlights on existing poles and adding 14 more lights to brighten up dark spots. Smith said while Delmarva Power presented the streetlight project in December, it was put on hold until after the new power line project to improve efficiency.

Smith said all told, the project will cost $4 million and is expected to be fully complete by early 2025.

Delmarva Power officials say the project will improve reliability for more than 3,100 customers, reduce the frequency and duration of power outages, modernize infrastructure and strengthen the local electrical grid.

“It’s a big shot in the arm for the Town of Milton,” Smith said. “We’re really excited about it.”