Recent storms in town have reminded residents in several parts of town of the frustration of waiting for power to be returned. In an effort to improve its infrastructure, Eversource is beginning work on a project in town to replace a key part of the grid.

First Selectman Matt Hoey said Eversource, as a part of its infrastructure improvement plan, is starting a project to upgrade the connection between the substation in town on Stepstone Hill and the substation on Green Hill Road in Madison. The project spans about 5.5 miles with about three miles of work in Guilford.

“Those high power lines that run between there—it’s part of their backbone network and their retail distribution and all the electric power, so they have the ability to do some load shifting and balancing based on power outages and distribution throughout their grid,” he said. “So it’s a key component of their grid.”

According to a report from Eversource, transmission structures in the area require replacement due to structural integrity issues and, “Completing the communication ‘loop’ in this area will provide fiber communication capabilities between the substations to increase reliability.”

Part of the plan involves replacing the old wooden poles along the route between the two stations. Hoey said more than 50 wooden poles will be replaced with new metal poles.

“They are also going to be installing...some new fiber optic connection between the two stations to enhance their communication capabilities ...to affect more timely sharing of information and then being able to adapt to power demands,” he said.

Eversource will have to cross about 70 different lots to complete the project, including personal property, town land, and Guilford Land Conservation Trust property. Some of the land in the path of the project is considered wetlands.

“There is a possibility of wetlands, however Eversource needs to supersede inland wetlands regulations,” Hoey said. “It’s basically a public necessity, so they will be as mindful as they can and not disturb wetlands and they will keep tree trimming to a minimum.”

Hoey said Eversource will put down staging mats around each construction area and in some areas, will be using a helicopter to help pull cables from one pole to the next “...because they can’t get all the way through all these properties with the trucks that have the cable reels on them,” he said. “It’s easier for them to pull with a helicopter.”

Hoey said Eversource has reached out to residents along the route multiple times to inform them of the project. While residents along the route of the work being done will be the only ones directly affected, Hoey said Eversource is also coming to speak to all residents.

“They will be coming to the Board of Selectmen meeting on [Monday,] Feb. 5, which is going to be an evening meeting,” he said. “We wanted to turn this into an informational session and Eversource will be there to provide the community with an overview of the project and answer questions related to it. It will not be an opportunity to express people’s opinions, because this project is happening. Eversource anticipates [state] approval within days, so this may already have started by the time we get to the meeting.”

Hoey said no town funds are being used for this project; Eversource is responsible for every dollar. Overall, Hoey said the project could take up to a year to finish.