||| FROM SUZANNE OLSON for ORCAS POWER & LIGHT COOPERATIVE |||
OPALCO contractors are at work on Dolphin Bay Road between Shaner-Armstrong Road and Killebrew Lake on Orcas Island replacing old direct-buried single-phase conductor with new three-phase conductor and fiber in conduit. The work is expected to continue into May with traffic delays (up to 15 minutes) at the work site.
Flaggers are on hand to direct traffic.
This is the third phase of a long-term system improvement project in that area. The first phase replaced conductor from Orcas Landing to Killebrew Lake; the second phase coincided with County road improvements from the kennels to Shaner-Armstrong Road – and this phase will complete the circuit which will allow OPALCO to run power in either direction, cutting outage times and improving system reliability. The fourth phase will coincide with the County’s culvert replacement project at LaPorte Road in the near future.
In addition to system upgrades and reliability benefits, the project includes re-establishing ditches along the road to keep water runoff in its channel, and adding new material to the roadbed for an improved surface.
Recent storms have washed out several culverts and created debris dams in the area, which is predominately wetland. Consultations with wetland biologists and the Army Corp of Engineers were a key component of the design to ensure project success and minimize impacts.
Thanks for your patience as you drive in that area and consider an alternate route when crews are at work. Any questions about the project can be directed to communications@opalco.com.
Orcas Power & Light Cooperative (OPALCO) is our member-owned cooperative electric utility, serving more than 11,400 members on 20 islands in San Juan County. OPALCO provides electricity that is 97% greenhouse-gas free and is generated predominantly by hydroelectric plants. OPALCO was founded in 1937.
San Juan Preservation Trust holds an easement 250 feet wide on both sides of the dolphin Bay road from Armstrong/ Shaner road going south up the hill past Diamond lake most of the way to Kilibrew lake.
This easement prevents any widening of the road along this last portion of pristine country road thru dense forest and beautiful scenery.construction on this section of road is restricted to the road bed only…I hope that the county staff / Opalco/ rock island will all abide by that easement and not use this project as an excuse to widen the road.