Utility Crews Bring Raymond Avenue Power-Line Project to Washington Boulevard Mid-September

The long job of pulling Raymond Avenue’s overhead power lines underground reaches Washington Boulevard next month — and with it, about three weeks of narrowed lanes and shifting traffic.

Pasadena Water and Power says crews will move to the Raymond Avenue and Washington Boulevard intersection on Monday, Sept. 14, the latest stage of the Raymond Avenue Underground Utility District project, a city effort to replace overhead electrical lines with buried infrastructure along Raymond Avenue between Maple Street and the northern city limits.

The work is scheduled from 8:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m. and is expected to last about three weeks, according to the city manager’s Aug. 27 weekly newsletter, in which PWP General Manager David M. Reyes reported on the project’s progress. Depending on the construction phase, the intersection may have reduced lanes, temporary closures, or periodic rerouting.

Drivers should plan for delays and consider alternate routes during work hours, the utility said.

The project relocates existing overhead utility lines underground. The work is being performed by the city’s authorized contractor, Doty Bros. Construction Company. The Pasadena City Council awarded the construction contract on Nov. 17, 2025, for an amount not to exceed $21,403,255, covering up to three years of work.

The Raymond Avenue work is part of a program that dates back decades. Pasadena’s Underground Utility District Program began in 1968, relocating overhead electric and telephone lines below ground and installing vaults, transformers, conduit and cable in their place. Earlier phases this year brought similar short-term closures to points where Hammond Street and Mountain Street cross Raymond Avenue.

For more information about the project, or to request a call with project management, residents can contact PWP at (626) 744-4005 or visit PWPweb.com/Underground.

The broader undergrounding program has been part of Pasadena’s public-works plans since 1968. The blocks around Washington Boulevard are the next ones in line.