PSEG Long Island to conducting storm hardening work in New Cassel, Westbury

PSEG Long Island is conducting storm hardening work in New Cassel and Westbury Long Island to improve grid reliability in those areas as part of its “Power On” program.

“PSEG Long Island is strengthening the electric lines that directly power homes and businesses because we know that electric reliability is more important than ever to our customers,” Peggy Keane, PSEG Long Island’s vice president of Construction and Operations Services, said. “This Power On infrastructure improvement project in New Cassel and Westbury is part of our ongoing, multi-year effort to continue to improve electric reliability for our customers.”

The storm-hardening improvements include replacing some existing utility poles with stronger, more durable poles capable of withstanding winds up to 135 mph. The new poles will be approximately the same height as the existing poles, have a stronger base, and will be placed no more than 5 feet from the current pole locations. Also, PSEG Long Island will be installing shorter cross arms atop some poles to help wires deflect falling limbs instead of catching them. In addition, it will replace the current wire with more resilient and durable wire and upgrade or replace worn equipment as necessary.

Work on this project started in early January and will last for approximately three months. The company will provide cones, flaggers, and signage at the worksites to ensure traffic moves safely. In addition, local officials will be notified in advance regarding any potential traffic concerns.

Power On is the company’s five-year storm hardening program that started in the spring of 2020. Already, more than 256 miles of the most vulnerable distribution mainline circuits on Long Island and in the Rockaways have been storm hardened with stronger poles, thicker wire, and other modern equipment. Last year, the sections of circuits that were storm-hardened saw a 48.5 percent reduction in damage leading to outages compared to the rest of the distribution system.