Commonwealth Edison Co. (ComEd) is wrapping up its $2 million electricity infrastructure improvement project in Northbrook, Ill., a project village officials said should help prevent the kind of power outages that overwhelmed Northbrook last summer.

Northbrook director of public works Kelly Hamill said that ComEd’s electricity infrastructure project has been designed to yield several improvements:

• The installation of almost 10,000 feet of new overhead power lines — called Hendrix cables, which are designed to better withstand punishment from storms and, especially, from contact with falling tree limbs — should help prevent power outages by 75 percent
• The relocation of the village’s mid-circuit recloser — an automatic switching device that helps minimize the number of customers affected by outages — to a more effective location near downtown
• The replacement of underground cables in areas that are prone to outages
• An increased tree trimming program to help prevent outages from falling limbs
• A revised strategy for communicating with village officials during storms

Hamill said ComEd’s finishing touches involved switching power from the old lines to the new lines, transferring individual residential services to the new power lines and removing the old power lines.

The village’s mid-circuit recloser will be moved in late June or early July, Hamill said.

Sources

“ComEd Improves Electric Lines in Northbrook to Decrease Outages,” Chicago Tribune, May 31, 2012.