Duct Bank Underground Updates

Customers will see large equipment working in the area of the duct bank installation, often for several weeks at a time. Equipment may include utility bucket trucks, concrete removal and installation equipment, and large spools of electric line. Customers may also experience temporary lane closures and traffic impacts as crews work along the roadway. Crews will work along the power line easement and, in some cases, may need access to backyards and other areas of the property to work on the line.

As our communities continue to grow, we must upgrade and expand the energy infrastructure to power them. Duke Energy is working hard to make sure that the energy infrastructure serving our communities can reliably serve customers now and in the future. Improvements such as duct bank installations will strengthen the system against outages and impacts from weather and improve public safety from vehicle accidents that involve power poles. We are also making strategic improvements across the region to make the grid smarter and more resilient, to help shorten outages and support the growth of cleaner energy options.

Our distribution easement areas are typically 30 feet wide – or 15 feet on each side of the easement area centerline.

Any impacts incurred as a result of the construction will be restored to pre-work conditions once all work is complete. 

Both planned and emergent (unplanned) outages may be needed to complete this work. Unplanned outages result from automated safety features in place for employees as they work while we keep the lights on for customers. We understand the inconvenience caused by emergent service interruptions and ensure our crews work safely and diligently to restore service as promptly as possible. When a planned outage is required, customers are notified in advance with outage details. 

We are making strategic improvements to the power grid to increase reliability, strengthen the grid against severe weather and other threats, expand innovative technologies like solar and battery storage, and provide customers with more control over their energy use and tools to save money.

We are conducting many improvements such as:

• Pole and line upgrades to strengthen the grid against outages from severe weather
• Self-healing technologies that automatically detect power outages and reroute service to restore power faster
• Reliability improvements in areas that have experienced a higher number of outages
• Strategic undergrounding of outage-prone line segments to improve reliability for customers
• Increasing substation and line capacity in fast-growing areas of the region

In addition, Duke Energy customers in the area can access new tools and options through their smart meter, including hourly and daily usage information, to help better manage energy use and save money.