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Q: JEA and Jaxport are raising power lines over the St. Johns River so bigger ships can dock at the port. But a Jacksonville Today reader has another idea.
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Sidne V. wonders why the power lines aren’t being buried beneath the river instead of over it.
“It seems to me the logical solution would be to run the lines UNDER the water — in conduits or cables, or even tunnels,” Sidne says. “That would resolve the issue and even protect (them) during hurricanes and other potential disasters.”
“Can you find out if that was even evaluated? And if so, why was it not considered?”
A: The idea of burying the power was, in fact, considered, but it was far more expensive, JEA says.
Six high-voltage lines going to and from Blount Island have crossed the river at a height of about 175 feet for decades. But in mid-2022, port officials said they might not be high enough to clear the tops of newer, larger vessels that would be using Jaxport.
The channel was deepened from 40 feet to 47 feet to accommodate bigger ships through Blount Island in May 2022, but the power lines still interfere.
Asked about going under the river instead of over it, JEA spokesperson Karen McAllister confirms the idea was considered.
“At the time of the initial evaluation, the cost of undergrounding the circuit was substantially more than the overhead option,” McAllister says in an email.
The underground approach was estimated to cost $159.6 million. It would have used a directional drill to create underground and underwater tunnels for the high voltage cable on the north and south banks.
Helicopter and ground crews would have been required to wreck out the old towers, and “this approach will greatly encumber the JEA parcel on Blount Island,” a JEA proposal states.
Instead, raising the lines will be done to the west of existing ones, to stay on track with Jaxport’s targeted timelines, McAlister says.
This approach, estimated at $105.2 million, frees up existing lines for construction with a helicopter, which JEA calls the most cost-effective approach.
Site preparation is scheduled no later than April, with clearance for vessels by December 2026 and closeout activities by summer 2027.