All Around Pennsauken

By Frank Sinatra, AAP Editor

Aren’t we supposed to be done with all this road work? Is it almost over? When will I get my street back?

These are very similar to the questions that Pennsauken residents were asking almost a year ago about the ongoing PSE&G Southern Reinforcement Project. And for many, they’re not asking it as nicely. PSE&G understands the frustration, and wants residents to know there is a light at the end of the tunnel. Based on current projections, the final road work is slated to be completed by winter of this year.

“We know this project has been painful for residents,” says Douglas Anthony, senior communications consultant for PSE&G. “For the most part, they’ve been very understanding throughout the process.”

So what’s going on? And why does it seem like this has gone on forever? Here are the answers:

What’s Already Done

The Southern Reinforcement Project was designed to upgrade both overhead and underground electric transmission circuits in Camden and Gloucester Counties. The $435 million upgrade to five 230kV power circuits has been completed and went into service on May 30 of this year. The new service will relieve previous transmission systems overloads, provide better power quality and reduce transmission system congestion experienced in the region.

Alongside the five 230kV circuits is a 5” inch cooling pipe; everything in that trench is covered in “thermal sand,” which helps to disperse the heat. This system helps manage the heat in and around the power circuits, allowing PSE&G to “push” more power through them. This cooling system is also on-line.

In addition, almost all of the work to repair sidewalks along the circuit route is done; the remainder will be wrapped up during the final road restoration.

What’s Left To Do

Anyone who drives a car through Pennsauken and Merchantville already knows the answer to this – the roads are awful. But there’s not just one reason why things seem to be going slowly. When road work is done on this scale, vibrations from the construction can cause leaks in the underground gas lines. PSE&G has ridden the entire route with a special “gas sniffer” truck to identify gas leaks so they can be corrected before the road is closed back up for good.

There’s also a portion of the project that wasn’t as well publicized. On top of the trench, PSE&G is installing two 4” PVC pipes that will contain an important fiber optic communication system.

“The fiber optic cable is for control, relays and information,” explains Anthony. “It’s designed to communicate information about the line to PSE&G and to make sure that the line isn’t damaged.”

This part of project comes with its own special challenges. The fiber optic cable used in the communication system can only be pulled into the PVC pipes at a certain tension or it can be damaged or even destroyed. In addition, some of the trenches have drastic bends; as workers are putting together the system in 20-foot sections, some finesse is required. And if serious resistance is met when pulling the cable, or if the pipe wasn’t put together quite right in the field, PSE&G may have to resort to installing a new manhole to get the run in and reopening the street.

Anthony also went on to explain that issues like last year’s extremely cold winter were another contributing factor to the project’s slow down.

“The productivity could have been a lot better,” admits Anthony. “We had a brutal winter; we just couldn’t get the productivity in the cold weather that we needed. These are the challenges you face on a project of this scale. But the goal now is to get the communications cables in and get the roads restored. Our deadline to do that is this winter.”

Final restoration of the roads will begin at North Park Ave., move to a section of South Browning Rd., head to Cove Rd., continue on to Centre St., and then finish on the remaining roads where the communications system has been installed.

“It’s a lot of paving, but we should be done sometime in December,” says Anthony.

Browning Road

For residents living along Browning Rd., the Southern Reinforcement Project has come with its own special set of challenges. And there’s more work to be done. After riding down a section of Browning to detect gas leaks, PSE&G identified 40 gas services that need to be upgraded from the main to the house connections. In addition, Browning Rd. is a concrete road, as opposed to asphalt, which adds times to roadway work and repair.

“The final restoration of Browning Rd. will be delayed while PSE&G upgrades the gas services,” says Anthony. “However, final milling and paving should also be finished by this winter.”

Resolving Issues

If a resident has a concern about the project; if there’s any damage to their property; or if there’s any restoration that they’re not satisfied with, PSE&G wants to know so that the matter can be addressed.

The outreach number for the PSE&G Southern Reinforcement Project is (866) 507-5961. Calls are usually returned within 24 hours or the next business day.

If residents feel they have a claim as a result of work being done by PSE&G, they can call 800-CLAIM-88; PSE&G asks that residents reference the Southern Reinforcement Project when calling.

“It’s important that any resident who has an issue gives PSE&G a call, even if they’ve called in before,” says Anthony. “We will investigate any claim that comes in.”

For additional information about the Southern Reinforcement Project, click here.