The $4.5 million project will take until at least 2026 to complete.
The Wissahickon area is about to be part of a massive PECO upgrade project, which is said to take “a couple years” to complete. The infrastructure project is planned in phases to lessen the impacts on the community. The “Penllyn Electrical Upgrade Project,” as it is formally named, impacts Ambler Borough, Lower Gwynedd Township, and Whitpain Township and is expected to begin in early 2025.
One of the first phases will begin along Old Penllyn Pike and Pen Ambler Road, which is slated to last until 2026 alone. Tree removal and trimming will be required as part of the work, and PECO aims to survey the area in the coming weeks, ahead of the initial start.
“A PECO contractor will survey the area in the coming weeks, and property owners will be contacted directly if their property is affected,” said an update on the Lower Gwynedd Township Website. Residents in all three municipalities will be informed of updates as the work progresses.
PECO is responsible for filling in those with questions or concerns. Individual municipalities are not responsible for the project and cannot answer detailed questions. All told, the project is said to cost $4.5 million, which PECO calls “an investment” in the areas, a “proactive effort to enhance local, electrical distribution.”
“We will replace all wires, cables, poles, devices, and transformers on the circuits associated with the Penllyn Substation,” explained the Exelon Company’s release. While the company aims to follow the same existing pole line, the new replacements will be taller than current poles. These new additions are to “meet current industry standards,” as outlined by the National Electrical Safety Code (NESC).
Due to the new height, there will be a greater clearance necessary to maintain safe and reliable service.
“This project requires vegetation work in Ambler Borough, Lower Gwynedd and Whitpain Townships,” said PECO’s release. “Tree trimming and removal promotes reliability and safety by ensuring proper clearance and minimizing vegetation that could potentially cause a power outage.”
While the growing pains involved in the meantime, with areas of all communities already under construction, PECO insists that the changes will lead to better service for all.
“The project will strengthen electric infrastructure to better withstand more frequent and damaging storms in our region, deliver enhanced reliability for our customers by reducing the frequency of outages, and the duration of those that cannot be prevented, and support the adoption of clean energy resources such as solar power and electric vehicles,” said PECO’s informational flyer.
With tree work starting as early as October 2024, the overall timeline will be something PECO plans to update residents on as it progresses.
“Due to the scale of this project, construction will last multiple years and will occur in phases,” said PECO’s release. “PECO has worked to develop a plan to minimize direct customer impact as much as possible to complete the project in a safe and timely manner.”
PECO has promised municipal authorities that work will only be conducted Monday through Friday, during “normal working hours” each day as much as possible.
“There may be times when after-hours or weekend work is required, in which case we will keep the work time to a minimum and coordinate with any directly impacted parties,” said PECO’s release.
Letters were mailed by PECO to area residents in all three municipalities. Those with questions, as the project continues in the coming years, are asked to email the PECO Project Customer Liaison, Brianna Ferrell at brianna.ferrell@exeloncorp.com.
