Undergrounding of utility lines to disrupt canyon road

Southern California Edison crews will begin the process of undergrounding utility wires along the Big Bend stretch of Laguna Canyon Road on Monday.

Eleven poles and 1,600 feet of overhead wiring will eventually be removed during the phased project, according to a news release.

For the most part, Laguna Canyon Road will maintain one lane of traffic in each direction, though there will be one week of night work during which one lane will be used for both directions. The outbound traffic lane will be moved to the center lane between 9 a.m. and 3 p.m. Mondays to Fridays through June 15 to accommodate the work.

Between April and June, crews will install underground conduits and vaults, and come September, after the busy summer season, workers will install cables and other equipment. After all wires are placed underground, crews will remove the overhead poles and wires.

Removal of all poles and wires is expected to be done by mid-2017.

Edison ratepayers, including those living outside Laguna Beach, are helping to fund the project, the release said.

Edison distributes these funds to cities for the purpose of undergrounding utilities in locations with heavy concentrations of overhead electric and communications facilities and traffic volumes.

For more information, contact the city’s public works department at (949) 497-0711 or the 24-hour Caltrans public relations hotline at (949) 724-2000.