Beginning Monday, May 5, East St. will be closed to through traffic for approximately one month as DTE Energy workers upgrade the electrical infrastructure running beneath the road.
During that same month, motorists will be allowed ‘limited access? to Louck St. while DTE workers upgrade the infrastructure under that street as well.
Apparently, one of the two transformers at DTE’s Oxford substation on East St. blew last week, leaving only one functioning.
Mark Collins, DTE’s site supervisor for the upgrade project, said the transformer blew because it had ‘too much capacity? and ‘couldn’t handle all the load (customer demand).?
In order to ‘beef up? the substation, Collins said DTE is planning to connect the it with the Stratford substation on Granger Road (north of the village) to ‘split the load? and keep the transformers ‘cool? and functioning properly.
To accomplish this connection, DTE workers must run more power lines through the underground pipes, called ‘ducts,? which house the cables, Collins said.
However, the ducts running from the Oxford substation under East St. and Louck St. are four inches in diameter and made from a mixture of tar and paper (called ‘fiber pipes?), Collins said, adding they were probably installed sometime in the 1930s or 1940s.
Collins said these old ducts must be replaced with new five-inch PVC pipes in order to make the connected to the Stratford substation.
Because the ducts are underground, DTE will have to dig up the road, which includes the intersection where East, Louck and Depot streets meet, so East St. will be closed to through traffic for about a month, Collins said.
DTE workers will also be digging up the west half of Louck St. (between East and Center streets), leaving motorists ‘limited access? to the east side of the road, also for about a month.
Village Manager Mark Slown said this road work coupled with the construction happening on Broadway St. until mid-June will lead to increased traffic volume and congestion on Burdick St.
Slown asked motorists for their patience and understanding during these road projects.