A portion of Kanawha Boulevard East, in downtown Charleston, will be closed for six to eight weeks, as contractors for Appalachian Power continue their work to update the company's aging infrastructure.
Contractors have dug a hole deep into the westbound lanes at the McFarland Street intersection to update a stretch of Appalachian Power's underground cables providing power to the city.
Company spokesman Phil Moye said traffic will be reduced to one lane in each direction in the vicinity of the construction from 7 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. on weekdays, starting Wednesday. Workers will assist with directing traffic.
Outside of that time, westbound traffic will detour at Brooks Street, with the street only open for local traffic from Brooks Street to McFarland Street.
Some of the work will take place at night, when safe to do so, and crews have adjusted their schedule to minimize traffic disruptions, Moye added.
Appalachian Power is in the thick of efforts to refurbish and replace old cables and equipment that have been underground for decades, most for more than 50 years. Construction has occurred on Quarrier, Hale and Summers streets, among other places.
Appalachian Power began addressing replacement areas in late 2014. The utility, which primarily serves Southern West Virginia and Western Virginia, has employed around 30 contractors to work on the project. It plans to wrap up its replacement effort by the end of 2019, Moye said.
Until then, drivers should expect minor construction holdups to occur throughout the city.
"We understand this is an inconvenience and are working closely with the city of Charleston to minimize traffic disruption," Moye said.
The refurbishing and replacement efforts are more precautionary than reactionary, according to Moye. He said the company hasn't encountered any significant issues with the existing cables, but it's better to address the aging infrastructure before problems occur, because the construction efforts take time.
Revamping the underground network will cost about $20 million.
"The network has reliably served much of downtown Charleston for more than 50 years," Moye said. "We are investing the resources needed to ensure continued reliable service for many years to come."
Reach Max Garland at max.garland@wvgazettemail.com, 304-348-4886 or follow @MaxGarlandTypes on Twitter.