PSE announces ‘preferred route’ for Energize Eastside lines

There are no changes to the previously announced route through Renton, which will keep transmission lines where they are now

March 21, 2016 7:21 pm

From a press release:

Puget Sound Energy on Monday announced a preferred route for the Energize Eastside project. The new route option will undergo further analysis during Phase 2 of the Environmental Impact Statement (EIS) process.

Called Willow 2, the route responds to community feedback by limiting pole heights and effects to Eastside neighborhoods and the environment. There are no changes to the previously announced route through Renton, which will keep transmission lines where they are now.

“The community has spoken and we’ve listened,” said Dan Koch, PSE’s director of Electric Operations. PSE has heard from nearly 2,000 community members since launching Energize Eastside in December 2013 – including through the project’s Community Advisory Group process, at open houses, and comments submitted to the project. “It’s our responsibility to keep the lights on for our customers, and we’re committed to limiting impacts to the community as much as we can. Our preferred route meets PSE’s need to provide reliable power on the Eastside, is safer than what exists in the corridor today, and addresses customer concerns.”

The deadline for submitting comments for the Phase 1 Draft EIS was on March 14 and in that process, PSE identified the preferred route. The route is similar to Willow, one of the two options recommended by the Community Advisory Group in December 2014.

The route primarily uses the existing corridor and a new segment in the Factoria area. In most instances, this route option entails removing four existing poles in the corridor and replacing them with one pole, or at most two poles. Most of the new poles will be built approximately in the same place as the existing poles.

PSE will replace existing poles with either a single pole, typically at 100 feet in height, or two poles, generally at 85 feet with some as low as 65 feet in height. Based on what we know today, our preferred route avoids condemnation of homes.

We’re also studying other route options in the Factoria area, specifically Willow and Oak – advisory group recommendations – and another new route option called Oak 2. All four of these routes solve the Eastside’s electrical problem and address community concerns. For more information about the proposed route options and view route maps and photo simulations at PSE.com/energizeeastside.

In spring 2015, the City of Bellevue began the EIS process to review environmental impacts of PSE’s proposed Energize Eastside project. PSE has continued to listen and gather community feedback, and we’ve learned more about the Community Advisory Group-recommended routes through fieldwork. “Based on what we’ve learned, our engineers have been taking a hard look at design options, resulting in today’s milestone announcement,” Koch stated. “As the project and EIS process move forward, we’ll continue to listen and learn.”

Next steps for Energize Eastside

• The project is currently undergoing environmental review, which includes preparation of a Washington State Environmental Policy Act (SEPA) Environmental Impact Statement (EIS).

• The Phase 1 Draft EIS was published in January, followed by a 45-day comment period that ended on March 14. Scoping for Phase 2 of the EIS is anticipated to begin later this spring. Phase 2 will include a more specific and detailed review of alternatives based on the outcomes of Phase 1, and will focus on project design and construction.

• The EIS process is led by the City of Bellevue in cooperation with the cities of Kirkland, Newcastle, Redmond and Renton. More information can be found at EnergizeEastsideEIS.org.

• PSE will continue to listen and learn as the project and EIS process progresses.

About Energize Eastside

The Energize Eastside project will build a new electric substation and higher capacity transmission lines to serve homes and businesses on the Eastside – is essential to meet the growing electric needs of homes and businesses in Eastside neighborhoods.

The line, which the company says is the backbone of the existing local transmission system, had its last major upgrade in the 1960s. For the latest information on the Energize Eastside project, go to PSE.com/energizeeastside.