PUD crews working this summer to maintain strong reliability

Critical projects will increase reliability and meet growing demand

Snohomish County PUD crews will be busy this summer making electric system improvements and completing preventative maintenance projects. The work helps ensure the PUD maintains high levels of reliability through storm season and meets growing demand due to increasing electrification of transportation, more homes being built with electric heat and population growth.

• Jennings Park Substation: To increase capacity in Marysville, the PUD is constructing a new substation near Jennings Park and building a high-voltage line to serve it. This larger substation will replace the existing Central Marysville Substation, which will be demolished in 2025.

• Camano Substation: After building a second transmission line to Camano Island, the PUD is rebuilding its Camano Substation near Terry’s Corner this summer. The new equipment will increase capacity at the substation to help meet anticipated growth. When the Camano Substation rebuild is complete, the new equipment will increase reliability on the island and will include features that are more environmentally friendly.

• Poplar Way Extension Bridge:The PUD will complete relocation of existing transmission and distribution facilities in the vicinity of Alderwood Mall Blvd and 33rd W., as well as 196th St SW and Poplar Way to help facilitate a new City of Lynnwood I-5 overpass project along this alignment.

• Millwright Loop Distribution Project:The PUD will complete work to build out the distribution electrical system to support the Port of Everett’s Millwright Loop project on the waterfront.

• Bunk Foss Pole Replacements: Crews will replace 19 transmission poles in Lake Stevens this summer that were damaged by woodpeckers. The work will require road closures along 103rd SE. Please check snopud.com for updates on the project progress and timing and location of road closures.

• Targeted Tree Trimming: In an effort to protect infrastructure near wildfire-vulnerable areas, PUD tree trimming crews will be focusing efforts of tree, limb and brush removal this summer near primary conductors in the Darrington, Gold Bar and Index areas. This work will increase grid resiliency and reduce risk to our communities from the potential of wildfires.

In addition, the PUD plans to replace hundreds of aging poles, assess and treat thousands of poles and replace dozens of miles of aging underground cable. The PUD’s Vegetation Management team will have a dozen crews trimming trees across the utility’s service territory throughout the summer. The PUD trims trees on upwards of 450 circuit miles each year to aid in reliability.