Palm Beach undergrounding project continues to make gains

Diego Diaz Lasa, Palm Beach Daily News
·3 min read
Workers for Wilco Electoral LLC continue undergrounding work along Cocoanut Row south of Royal Palm Way on April 26.
Workers for Wilco Electoral LLC continue undergrounding work along Cocoanut Row south of Royal Palm Way on April 26.

Palm Beach continues to make gains in its project to bury all overhead, electrical, phone and cable television lines on the island.

Town engineer Patricia Strayer gave the update on the 10-year, $128 million project during the Town Council’s Oct. 10 meeting. She announced that all disruptive work from South Ocean Boulevard and South County Road to Seabreeze Avenue will conclude by Thanksgiving.

"We made the commitment maybe six months ago that all the disruptive work in these three phases would be completed by Thanksgiving," said Stayer. "And that will be true."

The project, which began in 2017, is expected to be complete by 2027.

Progress was steady, Strayer said, but noted recent challenges the project faced. Namely, the need to complete Phase 5 South as early as possible per conditions of the Federal Emergency Management Agency grant that is funding this phase.

“Five South is the FEMA grant, and we have a deadline to complete all of our conversions by the end of November," said Strayer. "So Four South is lagging behind because we don't have the risk of losing money."

Work on the town's 10-year, $128 undergrounding project got underway in 2017.
Work on the town's 10-year, $128 undergrounding project got underway in 2017.

Here's the current status of each phase in the undergrounding project:

  • Phase 1 South, from Sloan’s Curve to the south town limit: Complete.

  • Phase 1 North, from Onondaga Avenue north to the Palm Beach Inlet: Complete.

  • Phase 2 North, from Onondaga Avenue south to Osceola Way: Complete.

  • Phase 2 South, from Sloan’s Curve to the intersection of South Ocean Boulevard and South County Road: The project is 96% complete. Less than 10 poles left to be removed.

  • Phase 3 North, from Osceola Way to the north side of La Puerta Way: Complete.

  • Phase 3 South, from South Ocean Boulevard and South County Road to the alleyway south of Worth Avenue: Construction is 87% complete. Florida Power & Light will complete energizing the system by Thanksgiving. Cable and phone grounding at completion 33%. Poles to be removed by February or March.

  • Phase 4 North, from the south side of La Puerta Way to the north side of List Road: Construction is 95% complete. All equipment has been installed and FPL work has been complete. Paving started Oct. 16 and is expected to be completed by Nov. 1.

  • Phase 4 South, from Peruvian Avenue to Royal Palm Way: Construction is 51% complete. Drilling and disruptive work will finish by November. Paving to begin this month, while pole removal expected to begin in mid-2024.

  • Phase 5 North, from Country Club Road to Southland Road: Construction is 78% complete. Comcast has begun installation. Pole removal expected to begin after Phase 4 North poles are removed.

  • Phase 5 South, from South Lake Drive/Hibiscus Avenue and Peruvian Avenue/Royal Palm Way and properties between the Intracoastal Waterway and the Atlantic Ocean, and from Royal Palm Way to Seaspray Avenue: Construction is 75% complete. All drilling and disruptive work will be completed by Thanksgiving. All equipment will be placed by November, and FPL has started energizing lines. Poles expected to be removed by March.

  • Phase 6 North, from Chateaux Drive and Kawama Lane to the south side of Plantation Road: Construction is 46% complete. Poles expected to be removed by mid 2024.

  • Phase 6 South, from Seaspray Avenue to the south of Royal Poinciana Way: Construction has begun.

  • Phase 7 North, from Palm Beach Country Club north to the south side of List Road: Design is 99% complete and on schedule. 100% of easements have been approved. Construction has been awarded but not started, expected to begin by February.

  • Phase 7 South, from Atlantic Avenue north to Via Los Incas and Sanford Avenue: Design is 90% complete and on schedule. 100% of easements have been approved. Expected to begin construction by mid-2024.

  • Phase 8, from Royal Poinciana Way north to Everglade Avenue: Design is 54% complete and on schedule; 30% of easements have been approved.

Diego Diaz Lasa is a journalist at the Palm Beach Daily News, part of the USA TODAY Florida Network. You can reach him at dlasa@pbdailynews.com. Help support our journalism. Subscribe today.

This article originally appeared on Palm Beach Daily News: Town's undergrounding project still expected to finish on deadline