Underground Cable Replacement Program
Project Description
Over 590 miles of our electrical cables are underground. There are several ways to bury cables underground. Throughout our service area we have cable:
- Buried directly in the ground, known as "direct-buried cable."
- Buried in conduit, known as "cable in conduit."
We estimate around 330 miles of our underground cable is direct-buried. Crews will replace these cables with cable in conduit. This work will improve reliability and reduce risks for power outages. It also makes future maintenance easier and more cost-effective. Our goal is to replace all direct-buried cable in our service area with cable in conduit over the next 15 to 20 years.
Contractor Event
Contractors, you’re invited! Join us at the Seattle Public Library - Central Library on Sept. 8, 2025, from 9 a.m. to 1 p.m. to learn more about this important project happening in our community. This is your chance to ask questions, provide feedback, and get involved. Don't miss out on this opportunity to make a difference in the communities we serve!
Visit our event page for more information.
Current Projects
- Brace Point (2.4 miles of cable)
- Hurstwood (1.7 miles of cable)
- View Ridge (0.75 miles of cable)
Upcoming Projects Currently in Design
- Shoreline at Innis Arden
- 0.25 miles of cable
- We expect construction to start in Q2 2026
- Queen Anne Phase 1
- 2.5 miles of cable of the 4 miles total project
- We expect construction to start in the first half of 2027
- Magnolia
- 1.8 miles of cable
- We will publish a construction timeline soon
- Meridian Ave N
- 0.9 miles of cable
- We will publish a construction timeline soon
- 5th Ave NE
- 1 mile of cable
- We will publish a construction timeline soon.
Future Projects
We are currently updating our data-driven priority list for future cable replacement projects. This allows us to address community and neighborhood needs equitability and efficiently. We will publish the list soon.
We will be pursuing several delivery methods for this program, including design-bid-build and progressive design build, to expedite the cable replacement process. More information is provided within the FAQs.
Community Benefits
This work will improve reliability and reduce risks for power outages.
Frequently Asked Questions
Crews will replace direct-buried cable with cable in conduit as part of this program. Each cable replacement project is unique. Crews may need to dig up roads, sidewalks, and utility easements to place new cable in conduit systems.
We prioritize neighborhoods based on a variety of factors, including:
- Outage frequency and duration.
- Outage impact on critical customers like emergency services, hospitals, and life support needs.
- Outage impact on street and traffic lights.
- Construction considerations like cost and schedule.
- Challenges posed by existing utilities like water, sewage, gas, and communications.
- Neighborhood terrain.
Crews work on roads and sidewalks within the right of way or utility easements. They will restore and repave areas disturbed by their work.
Please make sure you are registered to do business with the City of Seattle and on the contact list for solicitation notifications. We also encourage you to learn more about contractor procurement and stay tuned to our open projects list.
We are pursuing several delivery methods for this program, including design-bid-build and progressive design build. This gives us multiple ways to achieve our goal of replacing all direct-buried cables within the next 15 to 20 years.
We will generally release Public Works Contract advertisements for traditional design-bid-build projects six months before the start of construction. See list of upcoming projects currently in design.
We will also be looking for contractors with experience delivering progressive design-build projects. Design-build teams should expect to provide qualifications showing they have specific and bona fide experience in delivering progressive design-build construction projects. This contract will last 10 to 12 years.
The selected progressive design build team will need to coordinate a variety of resources for the program including design, construction, outreach, environmental, permitting, and electrical crews, among others.
The Current RFQ/RFP timeline for the Progressive Design Build solicitation is scheduled to be released in 2026.
In order to successfully deliver the Progressive Design Build component of the program, we will be looking for an Owner Advisor/Owner Representative team.
The Owner Advisor will support the technical and program management needs of the project, from final development of the Progressive Design Build RFQ/RFP solicitation through construction and closeout of the project. With an estimated 330 miles of direct buried cable sprinkled throughout our service territory, we anticipate multiple projects underway at a time.
The Owner Advisor will need to have:
- Bona-fide experience with administering progressive design build projects.
- A deep understanding of civil and electrical design and electrical distribution systems.
- The ability to work at an advanced pace with forethought to identify issues and make rapid, technically-sound decisions in order to avoid delays to the program.
We expect to release the Current RFQ timeline for the Owner Advisor solicitation in Fall 2025.