A City-wide initiative to remove overhead utility lines marked a milestone Feb. 8 with the ceremonial removal of the final utility pole of the Tewa Court/10th Street Utility Undergrounding District.
As a small gathering of City officials, utility representatives and residents looked on, a crane hoisted the pole straight upward before laying it gently on the pavement at the top of 10th Street. The ruler-straight pole had been stripped of wires and crossmembers.
Launched as a pilot project in June, the Tewa Court/10th Street job included digging 1,345 feet of trenching to accommodate electricity and communications wires that had hung from 10 utility poles. Completing the project provided valuable insight to complete seven larger undergrounding districts throughout the city.
Utility undergrounding will "make Del Mar a more beautiful and safer community — one downed utility pole at a time," Mayor Tracy Martinez said in her remarks.
The Utility Undergrounding Project is funded by Measure Q, a one-cent sales tax measure approved by Del Mar voters in 2016.
Design work is underway for two other areas: the Stratford South District between 4th and 10th streets and the Crest Canyon district along portions of Crest Road and San Dieguito Drive.
Open Undergrounding Project webpage
