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 September 08, 2009

Undergrounding of Local Utility Lines a Slow Process
In 2007, San Diego Councilman Kevin Faulconer suggested borrowing funds to help speed up the undergrounding process of the city's more than 1,000 miles of overhead utility lines. Currently, the project is funded through a monthly surcharge which on the average costs users $2.50 per month. Now, two years after Faulconer's request, the idea of proposed borrowing is being addressed directly to both the Mayor and San Diego Gas & Electric by the Councilman.
The current completion date for undergrounding is 2067, a long time in the distance. Faulconer finds it hard to believe that it will take sixty years to complete the project, and believes that there must be a better way to get it done.

The current project was started in 2003. The city of San Diego has several different options which would help speed up the project. One option is that the city would borrow funds against the current monthly surcharge. This option would be available through 2020; the date when the current franchise agreement ends with San Diego Gas & Electric. Such a borrowing plan would generate an estimated two-hundred million dollars, taking five years worth of the project and condensing it into a two-year period. The city would have to enter into renegotiations with San Diego Gas and Electric in order to borrow any additional funds.

Areas of the city are placed on the work schedule in random order. It has been shown that in areas where undergrounding has been completed, property values have increased.