Roadworks: Belfast to Marshland 66 kV underground cable installation being undertaken by Orion

Last updated: 27 Sep 2021

What

Orion is installing a new 66kV underground power cable between Blakes Road and Prestons Road.

When

Mon 27th Sep 2021 06:12 pm

Contact

If you have any comments or questions, please contact our Customer Support team on 0800 363 9898, day or night.

What are we doing?

Orion is installing a new 66kv underground power cable between Blakes Road and Prestons Road.  

This new cable will connect the local supply to a new substation we’re building in Blakes Road. The work will increase the capacity and resilience of the local electricity network to serve the future needs of these growing areas.

How work is going

Work is going well, even with high levels of groundwater filling our trenches in many areas.

Timing changes

 Please refer to the map, below, for the revised timings of when we expect to start and finish work in each area.

We are working closely with the teams building the new Styx Mill Bridge. As a result, we hope to be able to install our cable across the new bridge sooner than anticipated.

We are also talking to the Prestons Park developer to see if an additional entrance to this subdivision might be possible. We have shuffled around our plan of work to delay starting on Prestons Road to provide for this if it can happen.

Work on Prestons Road Update

For more information on the Prestons Road one way click here(external link):

Update on other Traffic Management

As we are laying the new 66kV cable in the road we need to have traffic management in place to enable us to do our work safely. The following measures will be in place:

  • Marshland Road near the Prestons Road intersection. Two-way traffic will be maintained past the worksite. Lane capacity will be reduced for southbound traffic on Marshland Road.
  • Marshland Road near the intersection with Lower Styx Road and Hawkins Road and Belfast Road. The traffic management in this area is for the intersection upgrade and Marshland Road bridge widening. We are working with the contractor here to install the 66kV cable.
  • Belfast Road. Once we have completed the works on Belfast Road it will be opened to two-way traffic. There will be temporary traffic lights in place around the joint bay on Belfast Road while we work in this small area. We may also use traffic lights when working on other small areas on Belfast Road.
  • When Belfast Road is opened to two-way traffic, Guthries Road will be fully opened.
  • Blakes Road will remain closed, between Belfast Road and Silver Fern Farms until July.

We understand the traffic management may be inconvenient for you and we thank you for your patience while we do these essential works.

First cables installed

Interesting stuff

Cable installation

The 66kv cable install involves three cables in each trench. Each cable is 100mm in diameter and weighs 15.4kg per metre. There will be a total of three x 4.1kms of cable laid between the new substation on Blakes Road and the substation on Prestons Road.

The cable arrives to site on a large drum. The drums are loaded into position using a crane. You might see security people on site at night and on the weekend while the cable is being delivered and laid. This is to make sure the cable isn’t damaged.

Each of the cables takes about two hours to lay. 

The cable is pulled from the cable drum at one joint bay along the trench via a winch at the next joint bay.

The cable slowly moves across temporary rollers at the bottom of the trench and there are crew working in the trench to make sure the cable moves smoothly.

Where the cable moves through a duct, for example under the Marshland-Belfast Road intersection, the crew apply a lubricant to help it move smoothly.

Once the cable is laid, it is encased in thermal concrete for protection. Once both sections of cable are laid at a joint bay, the two sections are joined together.

We’re making good progress with the project. At the end of March, we laid our first cables down a section of Marshland Road outside approximately 448 – 518 Marshland Road (between Joint Bays 1 and 2).

In mid-April, we laid cables along a section of Belfast Road from the intersection with Marshland Road to outside approximately 187 Belfast Road (between Joint Bays 3 and 4).

Our next planned cable lay is along Belfast Road (between Joints Bay 4 and 5) in mid-May.

Where can you get more information?

We'll also deliver more information and regular updates about the cable installation to letterboxes along the cable installation route.

Please visit the Major projects - Powering up Belfast(external link) page on our website for up-to-date information or to sign up to receive regular e-newsletter updates.

If you would like more information please contact our Customer Support team on 0800 363 9898, day or night.

We understand our work may be inconvenient and disruptive for you.

Thank you for your patience while we complete this important work.

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