ALLEGHANY, PIKE — A survey crew has been in Alleghany for the last few weeks marking the locations of culverts and water lines along the roads around town. Last May there was a crew on Ridge Road in Pike. According to a PG&E public relations contact, this is related to potential undergrounding of the power lines. From their press release: This work is related to efforts to move powerlines underground and includes marking right-of-way boundaries with wooden stakes and flags so that PG&E teams can identify potential areas to move powerlines underground to reduce wildfire risk. Sierra County: Alleghany. Surveying will occur at or around Plumbago Road, Foote’s Crossing Road, Hells Half Acre, Ridge Road (Main Street), Kanaka Creek Road, Nevada County: Cherry Hill, Washington and Maybert Crossing Along Washington Road, Maybert Road and Alpha Road. Weather permitting, in early 2024, work is also expected to begin in: Sierra County: Pike and west into Nevada County. [As noted above they started in Pike before Alleghany earlier this year]. PG&E is committed to moving 10,000 miles of powerlines underground in the highest fire-risk areas to reduce wildfire risk and improve reliability throughout California. Burying powerlines is the most effective solution to reducing the risk of wildfire from electrical equipment, reducing the risk of ignitions in areas at the highest risk of wildfire by nearly 98%. Undergrounding also makes power more reliable by reducing outages caused by winter storms, and in some cases eliminates the need for safety shutoffs. After surveying, areas identified for potential undergrounding will move into the engineering and design phases. More details regarding these projects will be shared with individual property owners as it becomes available, including potential timing of any construction related activities (currently not expected to begin until late 2024 or beyond). County maps of approximate work areas, mileage totals and details on PG&E’s undergrounding progress are available at pge.com/undergrounding. Potential undergrounding projects are also contingent on California Public Utilities Commission (CPUC) approval. CPUC proposed reductions to PG&E’s undergrounding plans will go before the commission as early as Nov. 2, 2023. PG&E is encouraging customers to let the CPUC know that current undergrounding plans (of approximately 2,000 total miles through 2026) must move forward. Public comments in support of PG&E’s undergrounding proposal can be submitted here: cpuc.ca.gov/publiccomment. PG&E customers interested in learning more about this proposed work are encouraged to email undergrounding@pge.com.