SAN DIEGO — One North Park neighborhood is officially free of towering powerlines.
SDG&E and San Diego leaders celebrated the removal of the last standing power pole on Wednesday.
“The undergrounding in North Park will improve public safety and aesthetics as well as the overall reliability and resilience of our critical utility systems,” said Councilmember Stephen Whitburn, San Diego City Council, District 3, “I appreciate the partnership between City staff and SDG&E to make this happen in our community.”
The pole, located at the corner of Howard Avenue and Illinois Street was safely removed by an SDG&E crew, marking a milestone for the community in North Park.
According to the City of San Diego, $54 million is spent annually to remove overhead power and communication lines and bury them underground.
“We are proud to partner with the city to accelerate the undergrounding of our utilities for the benefit of the families and businesses we collectively serve,” SDG&E Director of Design and Project Management Erika Schimmel-Guiles said. “We have more work to do and look forward to our continued partnership with the city.”
According to SDG&E, removing powerlines requires extensive coordination and planning with government agencies, residents, and homeowners.
Approximately 60% of SDG&E’s power distribution is underground.
Editor's note: This story originally stated all of North Park was free of power lines. It was updated to show that one neighborhood is free of power lines, but not the entire area of North Park in San Diego. We apologize for the error.
WATCH RELATED: How much will holiday lights increase your power bill?
HERE ARE MORE WAYS TO GET CBS 8:
ADD THE CBS8+ APP TO YOUR STREAMING DEVICE Roku | Amazon Fire