Undergrounding Utility Lines: An Update

by Councilman Scott Peters
for the La Jolla Village News
December 2005

Most electric, telephone, and cable TV utility lines in La Jolla’s residential areas are located overhead. In fact, all of the older communities in the City of San Diego are sprinkled with exposed utility lines, and residents are fed up with this "sky graffiti" in their beautiful neighborhoods.

After decades of looking at these overhead lines, my City Council colleagues and I spearheaded a comprehensive Utility Line Undergrounding Program three years ago. Today, the program is moving forward, and as part of the plan, all overhead utility lines in the City’s residential neighborhoods will be buried underground within 25 years. In Council District One, including La Jolla, that timeline is slightly shorter, with a total completion date expected in 2020.

With twenty-four undergrounding projects planned for District One, I determined that the fairest way to prioritize the construction was to choose the order of the projects through a public lottery. The public lottery in La Jolla was held at a La Jolla Community Planning Association ("LJCPA") meeting in 2004. At that time, Walt Hall was a LJCPA board member and he chose the order of blocks randomly.

The first large scale utility undergrounding project to break ground in La Jolla will be Block 1F, which covers the northern section of the Barber Tract. Originally scheduled to break ground in late December 2005, the project is now scheduled to begin in June 2006 and is anticipated to take 18 to 24 months to complete. This delay is partly due to Hurricanes Katrina and Rita in the Gulf Coast. Much of this area, including New Orleans, sustained catastrophic damage to their systems and require complete replacement of their utility infrastructures. This demand has caused shortages of building materials in other parts of the country, including here in San Diego.

In addition to the large residential blocks, there are also several smaller undergrounding projects happening around La Jolla. These projects are typically found on major collector streets in our community. One project was completed on La Jolla Scenic South last year and there are active undergrounding projects on Princess/Sprindrift, Bird Rock/Chelsea and Soledad Avenue.

There are certain neighborhoods in La Jolla that may want to advance their "place in line" on the undergrounding list. At my request, the City offers two options for neighbors in this situation. One is a 50% cost-share option, working in conjunction with the utilities, and the other option is for a private property owner to work directly with the utility companies.

As part of my commitment to improving neighborhood aesthetics and the quality of life of our residents, I am dedicated to keeping utility undergrounding projects in La Jolla and all of District One on track. I hope you find this information useful, and remember that I am always eager to hear from you. Please contact the undergrounding program (619) 533-3841 for information or email me your thoughts at ScottPeters@sandiego.gov.