Malibu System Upgrades

To improve safety and reliability, and comply with California Public Utilities Commission Requirements, SCE is replacing poles along a 3.5 mile stretch of Malibu Canyon Road from Harbor View Drive to Piuma Road.

The project work will reduce the total number of poles along Malibu Canyon Road:

• 82 poles, including existing poles and guy wires, will be removed
• 65 poles will be installed

Construction work is expected to start mid-April 2017 and is scheduled for completion by March 2018 with a break during the summer. Related telecommunications work will take place intermittently throughout the same period.

What to Expect

Construction Schedule:

• Night Work: 9 p.m. to 5 a.m., Sunday night through Friday morning with lane reductions
• Day Work: 9 a.m. to 3 p.m., Monday through Friday work on road shoulder NO lane reductions
• Work will not occur: on weekends, designated “red flag” days when fire danger is extremely high, peak summer months (late-June through September), and the following holidays:

Memorial Day 5/29, Labor Day 9/4, Veteran’s Day Nov 11, Thanksgiving 11/23-24, Christmas 12/24-25, New Year’s 12/31-1/1

Traffic Impacts: Malibu Canyon Road will remain open throughout most of the construction period

• Night time lane reduction will allow for traffic flow while crews are working

• Day time work along the shoulder is not expected to impact traffic flow

• Some full road closures will be required; advanced notification provided when possible

• Mid-April 2017: Begin pole replacement and telecommunication project constructions

• Late June 2017: Project pause during the summer

• October 2017: Project resumes

• March 2018: Project complete

Malibu Canyon Road Pole Replacement Project Notification Map

Malibu Canyon Road Pole Replacement Project Notice of Proposed Construction

SCE is coordinating with cable television and telecommunication companies to move overhead utilities underground in Topanga’s town center. The project area is on Topanga Canyon Blvd., from approximately 300 feet north of the Verizon building extending south to Cuesta Cala Rd., primarily along the west side of the road. It will also extend along Old Topanga Canyon Rd. from Topanga Canyon Blvd. approximately 250 feet west to SCE’s Topanga substation.

Visit Los Angeles County’s Topanga Canyon Underground Utility District site for more information.

What to Expect

Work will take place from 9 p.m. to 3 p.m. Monday through Friday, but not on weekends, holidays or designated “red flag” days when fire danger is extremely high. Work will be suspended from Thanksgiving through New Year’s Day. Topanga Canyon Blvd. will remain open at all times with one lane for through traffic during the six-month trenching phase at the beginning of the project.

Timeline/Status

• July 2015: Begin trenching and construction of underground facilities
• Jan 2016: Begin installation of electrical and communications equipment
• Sept 2016: Remove existing overhead equipment and poles

Starting in summer 2015, SCE will be replacing poles at a much higher rate than normal within the City of Malibu and nearby unincorporated areas of Los Angeles County. These are poles that need to be upgraded to meet current safety standards of the California Public Utilities Commission. Poles will be replaced by SCE crews or by our approved contractors.

What to Expect

Normal work hours are Monday through Friday from 7 a.m. to 4 p.m. in the City of Malibu and from 8 a.m. to 4 p.m. in unincorporated Los Angeles County. Weekend work is permitted with prior approval by the local agency.

Large pieces of equipment, such as boom trucks and cranes, are needed to replace poles. In a mountainous area like Malibu this will often mean that traffic controls are necessary and, in some instances, road closures to keep our crews and the public safe. Helicopters may be needed to set new poles in locations where access is limited. Some of the poles may be in our right-of-way on your property. Our crews will need access to the right-of-way to replace or repair them.

In order for our crews to work safely, it may be necessary to de-energize power lines while poles are being replaced. SCE will notify customers 72 hours in advance if their power will be out during construction.

Contact Information

If you have questions about pole replacement work in the Malibu area, please contact SCE’s Customer Contact Center at 1-800-446-7156.

STAYING SAFE NEAR PROJECT CONSTRUCTION AREAS

During construction of the project, you may encounter SCE crews or contractors performing work that impacts public streets, sidewalks, trails or other public right-of-way areas. SCE implements a number of safety measures to ensure that members of the public as well as SCE crews remain safe during project activities.

Whenever SCE crews or contractors are performing work that temporarily impacts public traffic areas – either for pedestrians or vehicles – SCE implements various measures to alert the public of construction activities and provide directions they can follow to avoid potentially harmful work areas and remain safe. These activities include SCE and its contractors coordinating with the appropriate jurisdictions to ensure proper safety requirements are met. Whether along streets or near public walkways and trails, SCE implements measures such as the placement of temporary fences that restrict public access to potentially hazardous work areas, posting public warning signs along impacted areas, positioning crew safety members to help guide commuters and pedestrians, conducting daily construction crew safety meetings and more.

Here are some general tips you can follow to help you stay safe as either a pedestrian or driver while sharing the public right-of-way with construction crews.

Safety tips when you are driving:

• Pay attention to construction signs, hazard cones and guidance from construction crew safety members.
• Practice defensive driving habits by being on your guard and anticipating other drivers’ moves.
• Learn to look left, right and left again before you turn.
• Do not follow vehicles too closely near construction areas in case of sudden stops.
• Check your mirror every few seconds.
• Make sure you are seen by other drivers, pedestrians and project crew members in your area.
• Reduce your driving speed near construction areas.

Safety tips when you are a pedestrian:

• Pay attention to construction signs, hazard cones and trail closure signs.
• Observe fencing that restricts access to construction areas.
• Keep your head up. Do not text or browse e-mail when approaching potentially hazardous areas.
• Keep an ear open. Walking or running with headphones can isolate pedestrians from their surroundings. If you must walk or run with music, leave one ear open.
• If sidewalks are not available, walk facing traffic and cross at corners or intersections, whenever possible. Also, it is extremely important to follow directional signs in construction areas.
• Stand clear of parked vehicles or other obstacles before crossing walkways or streets near construction areas so others can see you.

Safety is a top priority for SCE – and you can help. For other general safety tips and information, visit www.sce.com/safety.

Call 1-800-611-1911 to report an outage.

Download the Edison Outage app on your smartphone or visit the Outage Center for information on maintenance and repair outages.

Call our Customer Contact Center at 1-800-655-4555 if you have questions.

• Inspecting and Upgrading Utility Poles
• Project Map