Aug. 2009: As locals know, the undergrounding of power and communications lines continues in the Del Cerro area. When they were doing Park Ridge Blvd. the city offered to plant a free tree for residents, but besides me, only my next door and two across-the-street neighbors took advantage of that. Too bad, we could use more trees along our street.

On Madra, AT&T continues to pull cable for their project there and are expected to be finished in another month or two. The poles with the legacy lines will then eventually come down. Another project on Overlake and Ridgemoor is finished trenching but cabling work is still happening.

In early 2010, a very large project at the south end of Madra will underground approximately 4 miles of overhead lines and 422 private properties (mostly south of Del Cerro Blvd.). Trenching will last about a year and another year of cabling and removal of poles. In 2011 another large job around Patrick Henry High School will underground another 2.5 miles or so and 250 properties (curious–they are repaving Wandermere in front of the school as I write). While all these projects are underway, the asphalt lot on the Pasatiempo open space on top of the hill will be used as a staging area for equipment and material. Once all the projects are completed, the city may preserve the Pasatiempo open space area and its vernal pools. Interesting that the San Diego Navajo Community Profile map has labeled that space “Rancho Park” (you may need to enlarge the map to read it).

Contact person for further information: Nathan Bruner, City of San Diego Underground Program Manager, (619) 533-7426.

Looking east across Pasatiempo open space (those power transmission lines are staying, though)