Florida Power & Light will install up to 50 taller poles along Ponce de Leon Boulevard this fall.
Tree trimming and landscaping work will begin along Ponce de Leon Boulevard shortly, a telltale sign of the future installation of upgraded power line poles by the Florida Power & Light Company.
The tree work should begin around the first week in August, with the installation of the new, concrete 80-foot high poles set to take place between September and November.
The project extends from South Miami, along Ponce de Leon from Southwest 57th Avenue to an area past the Shops at Merrick Park, and continuing to the electrical substation located at Bird and Douglas roads.
In all, 74 poles will be installed along the entire route of an existing transmission power line, with 50 poles going up along the Ponce corridor. Current power poles are 65 feet high, with the new transmission poles rising to 80 feet.
The goal of the upgrade is to help make the “energy grid stronger and more storm-resilient,” with poles able to withstand winds up to 145 mph, the power company said in a letter to residents living within 500 feet of the pending work.
FPL will be removing or relocating trees along Ponce de Leon that would interfere with the installation of the new poles. But the company said it will be “replacing more trees and other vegetation than it is removing, per the codes of the City of Coral Gables.”
Most of the tree trimming and landscaping work will take place between 8 a.m. and 5 p.m. Monday through Friday. For additional information about the project, referred to as the Coconut Grove-Galloway project, people are encouraged to call 800-693-3267 or visit the website, www.FPL.com/coconutgrove, for updates.