National Grid gets design OK for substation along Providence River

This is a rendering of the proposed switching and substation building between the I-195 lands and South Street Landing in Providence. National Grid has gained design approval for the project.  / KITE ARCHITECTS
This is a rendering of the proposed switching and substation building between the I-195 lands and South Street Landing in Providence. National Grid has gained design approval for the project. / KITE ARCHITECTS

PROVIDENCE – National Grid has gained design approval for a new electrical substation along the Providence River, which will accommodate the electrical needs for future development downtown.
The design, by Kite Architects, will place the electrical switching equipment inside a newly constructed building, positioned behind the new parking garage that will be built on Eddy Street as part of the South Street Landing project.
The utility facility will be capable of 165 Megawatts of 115kV transformation, according to a news release from TRC Companies Inc., of Lowell, Mass., which will provide engineering and construction services.
An extended river walk, connecting the neighboring South Street Landing project to the proposed public park now owned by the I-195 Redevelopment District Commission, is part of the plan.
CV Properties LLC and Wexford Science & Technology, which are developing the South Street Landing project, have agreed to build a pedestrian bridge from that site to the I-195 park, using an easement provided by National Grid, according to Eric Cote, a spokesman for the South Street Landing project.
The substation will include a new control and switchgear building, conversion of existing overhead line supply circuits to underground cable circuits, re-routing of underground feeder facilities to the new substation and removal of existing overhead line circuits. Some electrical equipment will remain outside the new building, but existing steel transmission towers will be removed.
The box-like building will be screened by trees and vegetation, and positioned on the site behind the new parking garage. It will have a concrete exterior with an etched design that resembles subtle, horizontal waves or an interference pattern.
“Our design approach was to make this [like a] jewelry box, elegant, simple,” said Christine West, a principal of Kite Architects.
The Providence Downtown Design Review Committee has approved the plans and the architect has applied for building permits.
Additional approvals by regulatory agencies will be needed before construction begins. Tentatively, the project may begin later this spring, according to West. Construction, transmission installation and demolition activities will take place over three years, according to a release by TRC.

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