San Vicente Road project calls for undergrounding all utilities

The county, which plans to underground overhead utilities for the San Vicente Road Improvement Project, was scheduled to consider a Nov. 6 public hearing on the matter at a Sept. 25 meeting.

The road project proposes to widen and realign 2.25 miles of San Vicente Road from Warnock Drive to just east of the Wildcat Canyon Road intersection for safety purposes. To relocate the utilities, the county must establish an Underground Utility District for San Vicente Road and adopt an ordinance on its formation.

The Nov. 6 hearing would allow county supervisors to hear public testimony and then consider adoption of the ordinance.

The cost of undergrounding the lines on San Vicente Road is estimated at $4.2 million and will be funded by San Diego Gas & Electric and other companies that have overhead lines in the project area, according to the county.

California Public Utilities Commission’s Rule 20a calls for utilities such as SDG&E to pay for underground electric lines when they are located along heavily traveled or scenic routes. Rule 20a funds are collected through a surcharge on ratepayers’ bills.

Construction on the San Vicente Road project is anticipated to begin in March 2014 and be completed by November 2015, the county reported.