The $33 million investment by Western Power to upgrade the underground network in Northbridge, Perth, has reached a milestone as works commence on Roe Street.
The works for the longest single section of cable located on Roe Street will involve installing a new high voltage underground cable between two substations using open trench digging to reinforce the electricity network.
Western Power Program Manager, Ian Anderson, said the works are part of the broader Perth CBD strategy which is essential to help secure the future power supply for city businesses, residents and visitors.
“Western Power is delivering this important project to meet the energy needs of our city as it grows.
“With new residential developments, commercial spaces and entertainment precincts developing in the CBD, we’re planning for the future and putting in place the critical infrastructure now to support this growth,” he said.
Western Power Community Engagement Manager, Pip Brown, said although the physical work begins this week on Roe street, consultation with residents and business owners about the project began in late 2018.
“Although we’re doing this work for the future needs of customers, we’ve made sure that we don’t forget their current needs in the process.
“We spoke to local businesses along the cable route to make sure we understood their access needs and concerns to help us modify works, where we can, to address those issues.
“What we have is a schedule of work that is, where possible, built around the concerns and needs of customers that will minimise the impact to residents, businesses and road users. It means we’ll be finished as quickly and as safely as possible, with as little pain as possible.”
The Northbridge works are expected to run for several months and Western Power has advised motorists these works will have an impact on traffic moving in and out of the city along Roe Street.
“With crews and heavy machinery working in the area, we need to have traffic management in place to make the area safe to work and traffic to navigate. This will mean, however, there may be some delays to your regular commute in to the city or detours in place over the coming months,” Ms Brown said.
“We do apologise for the short-term inconvenience and appreciate your patience as we complete these vital works for our city’s future.”
