PSEG contractor hits major milestone
Carson Construction employees at the Shelter Island Heights location where a tunnel from Greenport for electric cables broke through on Tuesday.
PSEG subcontractor Carson Construction of Lafayette, New Jersey, achieved a major milestone around noon Tuesday when tunnel drilling surfaced on Shelter Island from Greenport.
The tunnel between Shelter Island Heights and Greenport lays the groundwork for eventual pipes and cables to bring reliable electricity to the Island.
A single, aged cable runs from a Southold substation to the Island, and a cable that can power only part of the Island runs from the South Fork. For the past few summers when the demand for electric power is greatest, portable generators have been ready if the main cable failed.
In August 2013 LIPA’s subcontractor, Bortech of Milton, New York, hit a snag as it was drilling from Shelter Island to Greenport and the project was eventually scrapped.
There’s still much work to be done and more critical steps ahead before the project can be declared a success, PSEG Director of Communications Jeffrey Weir said Tuesday, adding the company is optimistic that new cables will be in place before the tourist season starts next May.
