Dominion Plans to Dig To Add Lines in Arlington

Dominion Virginia Power said yesterday that it plans to begin construction next month on 2.8 miles of underground electric transmission lines in north Arlington, the largest power-line expansion in that area in more than a decade.

The company will cut into roads, not private property, between the Virginia Square and Rosslyn Metro stations to install the lines. The work will be done in 100-foot-long sections.

Dominion officials said the lines are needed to increase power reliability and supply in the Rosslyn-Ballston corridor, which is rapidly being redeveloped into a high-rise residential and office canyon.

Elected officials were surprised by the scale of the project, said Chris Zimmerman, a member of the Arlington County Board. He said he learned of it yesterday.

Zimmerman said he feared the project could cause severe traffic jams and excavation-related damage.

"It sounds like the potential for inconvenience and disruption could be substantial," he said.

Utilities in Virginia, as in many other states, are not required to ask permission before undertaking large infrastructure improvements, even if they affect many residents. They do need permits, however. Arlington is processing traffic and civil engineering permits, Zimmerman said, but will not issue them until officials are convinced that questions are resolved.

Dominion has already obtained the approvals it needs from the State Corporation Commission, which regulates the power industry.

The utility said construction will be completed within nine months, but county transportation officials said the project could take more than a year.

"Their time frame is not realistic," Zimmerman said.

In making their case, Dominion officials said about 1,800 apartments and condominiums and more than 1.1 million square feet of office space are under construction in the Rosslyn-Ballston corridor.

Le-Ha Anderson, a spokeswoman for Dominion, said the county's population has risen 8 percent since 2000. She added that residents are using, on average, 9 percent more power than they did a decade ago, as people plug in more and more home computers, online interactive games, flat-screen TVs and sound systems.