ASK THE TIMES: Are Broad Street Utility Poles Still Being Removed?
Times reader John Coleman asked recently what the status is of utility poles on Broad Street. It was his understanding that they were scheduled to be removed and the wires placed underground.
Mr. Coleman is right — to a point. Poles in the 400 block of West Broad, where the Spectrum was built, are in the process of being removed. That project is being funded by Spectrum developer Waterford Inc., according to City Communications Director Barbara Gordon.
But no other utility poles are scheduled to be removed, even though the City favors it. “While the City desires that all of the utilities along Broad Street be undergrounded, no publicly funded project exists to see this happen,” Ms. Gordon said in an email.
Removing the poles brings a variety of benefits, albeit at a cost. Broad Street would be more aesthetically appealing, and sidewalks would be wider. Some utility poles take a portion of the sidewalks, which are narrow already.
Routing the utilities underground in the 400 block has been difficult, Ms. Gordon said, because the project was begun without all the necessary easements in place. She added that a recent issue has been resolved, clearing away what the City hopes is the last obstacle.
Construction is scheduled to begin in March. Dominion Power will remove the poles once all the utilities have been placed underground.
By Stephen Siegel
December 2, 2009
The poles are also to be removed in front of the Read Building and that has been over 2 years now. Bob Young told me he has already paid the city to have them removed. Last I heard Verizon was holding that up.
What about in front of the Flower Building? I think there are also utility poles there. They were allowed to build out to the sidewalk. Was the undergrounding of utility lines not part of the agreements for that building?
The flower building was a by-right build with no proferrs required.
Thanks Barry
John
Back in the early seventies, Falls Church Mayor Hal Miller pushed for the removal of all telephone poles on Broad Street within the Central Business District, and made it a condition of the utility agreement that permits use by the utilities of the right-of-ways. Was that obligation ignored or negotiated away?
Those poles have been there since the 60′s when I was growing up. Not sure what force and effect Mr. Miller’s agreement had on anything.
On my comment on the Read Building I just heard from Bob Young and it was a proffer from the Spectrum to remove the poles, however the city can not get a necessary easement from Bedo’s to allow it to happen. I believe Stephen is looking into it.
Seems like a long time for the City to arrange for Dominion Power to remove utility poles along the 400 block of West Broad. When I raised the question in Dec 2009 the response of the City was that construction work to remove utility poles was to begin in March. Did the developer already pay the cost for this work?