More than 3,600 feet of overhead power lines in Avila Beach are going underground, and the Bob Jones Trail will soon have a lower risk of wildfires.
“It's so green and yes, I think that would be devastating to have a fire in this area," said Jill Ramey, who visits the trail every time she's in Avila Beach. "There's a lot of homes over there.”
A new PG&E project is replacing the above-ground power lines along San Luis Bay Drive between Ontario Road and the Avila Village Market with 7,200 feet of underground power lines.
“There's a need for more power to reach that region," said Stephanie Magallon, PG&E spokesperson. "So we looked at it as a capacity project, a reliability project, because there was also a need to reduce the number of outages. We saw the opportunity to also include that wildfire safety benefit.”
Magallon said this project isn’t part of their undergrounding program specifically aimed at reducing wildfire ignitions; it’s more focused on bringing enough energy to a growing town. The lines are being put underground because it’s the best option for the vegetated area.
“I think that'll be a win for everybody — for them, for us," Ramey said. "But it's going to be a lot of work.”
One-hundred feet of power lines will remain above ground, but they'll be insulated to reduce ignition risk by 67%.
“We're also going to be installing new devices that are able to isolate problems if there are any problems on the power lines," Magallon said. "So that way, if there is one, the number of customers that are impacted by outages are reduced significantly.”
During construction, you can expect delays if you’re driving on San Luis Bay Drive throughout the week and trail closures are possible.
Ramey said she's seen the Bob Jones Trail closed for multiple reasons before.
“We miss it when it's closed and we know that it's for the better," Ramey said. "So it will be a good thing.”
Construction is set to wrap up in December.
