Back to Blog

OPALCO Pole Replacement for Orcas Road Re-Alignment

OPALCO is relocating a line of transmission poles along Orcas Road as part of the County’s road re-alignment project. The new poles will be strung with larger transmission wire which follows current standards and will increase efficiency and load carrying capacity.  OPALCO’s contractor crews will be in the area through mid-October. Most of the work is taking place hot (with the power on), but once the crew is ready to connect the new poles to the grid, there will be some limited power and fiber outages in the vicinity. Stay tuned for planned outage information in early October.

Contract crews are brought in for long-term projects like this one in order to maintain critical utility operations in parallel with major construction efforts.

The County road re-alignment project work will pick up again in the Spring. The project will increase the safety for the high-traffic road and ferry route – and it corrects some legacy easements locations for the County and private land owners. For information about the new road alignment and County project timeline, go to: https://www.sanjuanco.com/278/Current-Projects.

You may also like...

Quick Fact: Essential Public Facilities

ESSENTIAL PUBLIC FACILITIES: To meet the energy load increases that the San Juan Comprehensive Plan (30-50%) is calling for – OPALCO will need to have some local renewable generation, add … Read more

Quick Fact: Renewable Energy Siting Critieria

This guide outlines the criteria that must be met for siting OPALCO renewable energy projects in San Juan County. These standards ensure that proposed sites are compatible with the utility’s … Read more
capitol bell

Lighting the Way

Local students attend ICUA Leadership Camp Every year, students from San Juan County schools represent Orcas Power & Light Cooperative at the Idaho Consumer Owned Utilities Association Youth Rally. OPALCO’s … Read more