The city of San Diego has recently marked a significant milestone with the completion of an overhead power lines undergrounding project in the Rolando neighborhood. The event celebrated the removal of the final utility poles, concluding the initiative that aimed to enhance both public safety and the local landscape. As reported by the City of San Diego, Councilmember Sean Elo-Rivera of District 9 spoke about the project's completion, saying, "The undergrounding in Rolando will improve public safety and aesthetics as well as the overall reliability and resilience of our critical utility systems."
Throughout the process, around 47 poles were taken down from the area's streets, offering new electrical, phone, and broadband services to 307 properties along nearly three miles of city roads. The project is part of a larger endeavor between the City of San Diego and SDG&E through the Utilities Undergrounding Program. Despite a pause in such activities following the expiration of the initial Franchise Agreement in 2020, efforts resumed in 2022 with renewed agreements that promise to convert some 15 miles of overhead wiring to underground systems each year. "We are proud to partner with the City to accelerate the undergrounding of our utilities, benefitting families and businesses we serve," SDG&E's Vice President of External Affairs and Communications Brittany Syz stated, per the City of San Diego.
The undergrounding project, however, involved an extensive network of coordination among numerous entities, including residents, city staff, and SDG&E. In certain situations, leftover utility poles remain to provide services such as internet or cable, even when the power lines have been taken underground. The deliberate actions reflect a commitment to community improvement—reducing service interruptions and providing infrastructure to weather the challenges posed by climate change and extreme weather events. Added improvements in Rolando encompass the resurfacing of streets, the installation of ADA-compliant curb ramps, 48 new streetlights, and the planting of approximately 35 additional trees.
Funding for the extensive conversion efforts, which total about $54 million annually, is sourced from a surcharge on San Diego residents' SDG&E bills, a measure approved in 2002. This surcharge is dedicated exclusively to the undergrounding work and cannot be redirected for other uses by the City. Around 60% of SDG&E’s distribution system now runs beneath the earth's surface, though there are regions where terrain or other factors render undergrounding challenging and costly.
