Shenandoah National Park making electrical upgrades
Visitor impacts expected
Shenandoah National Park is working with utility partners to make repairs and upgrade infrastructure in an effort to proactively mitigate damage from future weather events.
Work has begun to replace utility poles and repair power lines along two utility corridors in the park. The work will impact visitor services at Elkwallow, Mathews Arm Campground, and the Big Meadows area.
At Big Meadows, there will be intermittent power outages throughout the month of April, Mondays through Thursdays. During outages, Big Meadows Wayside and the Byrd Visitor Center (mile 51) will utilize generators. However, bathrooms and showers at the campground will be closed Mondays through Thursdays from 8 a. m. to 5 p. m. Ice and wood sales will be moved to the Wayside.
Work will begin in the northern part of the park once repairs in the Big Meadows area are complete. Elkwallow Wayside (mile 24) and Mathews Arm Campground (mile 22) will delay opening for the season.
Rappahannock Electric Cooperative (REC) and Shenandoah National Park were previously working on a project to upgrade electric equipment including poles. High fire danger coupled with a forecasted wind event prompted the park to contact REC as well as Dominion Energy and Shenandoah Valley Electric Cooperative to request that five lines in heavily wooded areas be deenergized to reduce the risk of fire. Despite this precautionary measure, the event produced widespread damage causing outages and additional work.
The Matthews Arm Circuit experienced an exceptional degree of damage which required the removal of more than 250 dead or downed trees on the powerline easement. More than a dozen poles were broken or damaged. REC has also identified 33 poles on the Big Meadows line that need to be replaced. Fixing the poles takes specialized equipment and there is a permitting process for work in the National Park Service easement, all of which impacts the timeline. At this time there is not a date for completion.