Peter Schorsch
Downtown St. Petersburg’s power infrastructure is getting a multi-million-dollar safety and reliability upgrade.
Over the next two weeks, crews from Duke Energy will be adding advanced safety features to electrical manholes throughout downtown St. Pete. The project aims to improve the city’s infrastructure as part of a $140 million Duke Energy reliability program.
Starting Nov. 21-23 and Nov. 28-30, weather permitting, Duke will be installing upgrades to manholes between 1st Avenue North and Central and 4th Street North and 5th Street North and on 8th Street North between Central Avenue and 1st Street North.
During the process, drivers may experience temporary lane closures and traffic delays.
The project is part of Duke’s long-term strategy to provide effective power utility customers in the St. Petersburg area.
Duke asks for any customers with questions regarding the project to call 800-700-8744.
In a statement, the company said the planned manhole upgrades are not related to St. Petersburg Mayor Rick Kriseman‘s Wastewater Improvement Plan, and are not expected to have any impact on operations, including sanitary sewers, potable, or reclaimed water.
Earlier this month, Kriseman unveiled a $304-million, five-year plan to help alleviate recent problems with the city’s wastewater. Short-term projects will take approximately two years, and the plan should be completed in five years.
Duke Energy Florida serves nearly 1.7 million customers in a 13,000-square mile service area that spans from central Florida to the Panhandle. Headquartered in Charlotte, North Carolina, Duke is one of the nation’s largest electric power holding companies, with 7.4 million customers throughout the Southeast and Midwest United States.
