PROVIDENCE – Burying unpopular high-voltage wires running between downtown Providence and East Providence will cost roughly $11 million more than previously estimated, utility National Grid has told state and city leaders.
The burial project is likely to cost $33.9 million, the utility said in a report issued last week after conducting a detailed engineering study under orders from start regulators, up from the previous $22.7 million estimate. That previous estimate was based on a 2007 study that had been adjusted for inflation and construction cost escalation.
Roughly $17 million has been set aside for burying the power lines, a project in planning for more than a decade, with electricity ratepayers in Providence and East Providence expected to cover any funding gap.
Supported by local residents, colleges, environmental groups and real estate developers, the project would replace the rusty high-voltage towers with tunnels under the Providence and Seekonk rivers. The power lines run from the National Grid Franklin Square substation to an area near the new Tockwotton Home in East Providence.
In its report, National Grid said it will now look to the leaders of both cities for a sign that they wish to proceed with the project at its newly estimated cost.
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