Work will cause short delay on York Road Intersection with SH3 on Monday

New poles will be installed on either side of the railway line. Photo / Google

A significant upgrade of Powerco's electricity network north of Midhirst will start on Monday, October 14 with the replacement of 85 poles on York Rd.

General manager of service delivery and systems operation Ian Skipworth says the York Rd work is part of a project to upgrade the rural network between Inglewood and Midhirst from 6.6kV to 11kV.

"That will ensure greater voltage quality and network reliability for several thousand customers in the area."

While the York Rd pole and conductor upgrade will be completed within two weeks, the rest of the project will spread over the next five years.

There will be a brief disruption to SH 3 traffic at the York Rd intersection on Monday as wires spanning the highway are taken down and replaced.

"The line removal will cause a brief traffic delay while the reinstatement of new wire might disrupt the flow for 10-15 minutes. Our contractors are well prepared to minimise any interruptions and there will be considerable traffic management in place."

New poles will be installed on either side of the railway line and Kiwi Rail representatives will be on site on Monday to alert crews of any train movements.

Powerco has three contractors, Obertech, Linepower and Downer, engaged for the York Rd work which will involve six planned power shut downs spread over two weeks, says Ian.

"These have been scheduled to cause the least disruption and we appreciate the co-operation of the residents there."