BLOOMINGTON – The Bloomington Reliability Project, now in its second phase, is constructing a new transmission line to connect three Duke substations at Rogers Street, 11th Street and Dunn Street. This will provide greater service reliability. Some preliminary work along 17th Street and at the Duke substation at 14th and Dunn streets has already taken place, but the main project to install the new poles begins August 7.
Pole installation will start at 17th and Dunn streets. Many of the existing wooden poles will be removed and their distribution line transferred to the new transmission poles. Some of the new poles will be foundation poles, which are larger in circumference than the regular poles and take longer to install, as workers must first set the bases and then return to set the tops. Work on the foundation poles will start between College Avenue and Walnut Street.
The new poles will be installed on the east side of Dunn Street from the substation at 14th Street to the intersection of 17th Street. The line will then cross 17th and run on the north side of 17th to the intersection with College Avenue and Walnut Street. In this area, the line will cross 17th and run along the south side of 17th to Jackson Street. These poles will encroach slightly on the multi-use path along 17th Street.
Lane restrictions and sidewalk closures will take place in sections during construction. Sections may be temporarily closed for work, reopened, and closed again to complete the project. Lane closures will take place only during working hours, which are generally between 7 a.m. and 4 p.m. Monday to Friday unless additional work is needed for safety reasons. Traffic control will be present to direct traffic flow, and detour signage will be in place for sidewalks.
No work will take place from August 14 to August 18 to facilitate move-in for IU students into residence halls. Project work also will be scheduled to avoid IU football game days. The project schedule is subject to change due to weather or other unforeseen impacts.
