WORK costing about £2m to renew electric cables in Petersfield town centre is due to start.
From Monday, March 13, Scottish and Southern Electricity Networks’ (SSEN) experts will begin marking the route for the new cables using paint designed to fade and leave no trace.
Over the next five months contractors Durkins and Sons will dig up more than 2.5 kilometres of pavement to lay new power cable; it should be about 40-years before major work to the system is needed again.
SSEN’s Head of Network Upgrades Kevin Cracknell said: “This will go a long way to making the local network as robust and resilient as possible and also minimise the risk of power cuts.
“As with any project of this scale there will be an element of disruption to road-users and pedestrians, and I’d like to thank everyone in advance for their patience and understanding as we go about this essential work.”
The work will start in Penns Road, then move to Station Road, then down both sides of Lavant Street and Chapel Street.
Trenches will be dug right round The Square, and along one side of Windsor Road; a section of Swan Street is also due to be dug up.
So the work can go ahead safely, temporary traffic lights will be used to close the side of the road where contractors are working.
Throughout the 20-week work programme, there will be an advice and information stall at the Wednesday market manned by SSEN staff, who will be able to help resolve any issues there may be.
And in each area, about ten days before excavations are due to start, residents and businesses will receive detailed letters outlining what will be taking place near to them.
The project will also be the first time that SSEN has used Smart Barriers around work sites and trenches.
They are specifically designed to alert those who are blind or visually impaired that they are getting close to the barriers.
A demonstration of how the barriers work will be held in The Square on Wednesday, March 22.