Marblehead Municipal Light Department will implement temporary parking restrictions and road closures July 16-18 as five oversized tractor-trailers deliver electrical switchgear equipment to the Village 13 substation, marking the next phase of a $10 million infrastructure upgrade project.
The new switchgear acts like a giant electrical control panel, helping the substation safely manage and distribute power to homes and businesses.Their deliveries will follow the same route used for transformer installations in June 2024, beginning at Tedesco Country Club and proceeding down Tedesco Street to Humphrey Street, Pleasant Street and Bessom Street before entering the Rail Trail near the Marblehead Animal Shelter.
Each trailer measures 78 feet long, 14.25 feet wide and weighs 60 tons, carrying sections of what will become a 60-by-30-foot single-story metal building when assembled on site. The equipment was ordered in October 2022 and manufactured to custom MMLD specifications in Canton, Ohio.
“The switchgear deliveries will be wider loads than last summer’s transformer deliveries,” according to MMLD documents presented to the Select Board.
A 275-ton crane will arrive Wednesday, July 16, followed by three trailer deliveries Thursday, July 17, and two more Friday, July 18. The crane setup inside Village 13 will require MMLD to disconnect one set of feeder lines from Salem for three days.
Parking restrictions will be in effect from 7 a.m. Wednesday through 7 a.m. Saturday, July 20, affecting the first 13 parking spaces on both sides of the Roundhouse Road parking lot, the right side of Pleasant Street before Bessom Street and the right side of Bessom Street after the turn from Pleasant Street. The first three spaces at the Bessom Street end of Heritage Way also will be restricted.
Officials will remove street and stop signs at the intersection of Bessom Street and Pleasant Street to accommodate the wide loads. Marblehead Police will provide escorts when each trailer leaves the Tedesco staging area.
The Village 13 substation handles 99% of electricity consumed in Marblehead, delivered from the Independent System Operator New England (the nonprofit organization that manages the region’s electricity grid and oversees the wholesale power market to ensure reliable electricity across New England) from Salem through two sets of electrical feeder lines. The existing equipment has exceeded its expected lifespan and requires replacement to meet growing electrification demands.
The new substation will have 50% larger capacity with additional expansion options, including the potential for battery electric storage systems. Climate change concerns are driving new federal and state electrification statutes and policies, increasing demand for electric vehicles and heat pumps.
The five-year project, funded entirely through MMLD capital funds, targets completion by December 2025. Last summer’s transformer deliveries, each weighing more than 100,000 pounds, represented the first major milestone in the upgrade effort.
“Five trailers must be unloaded in a specific sequence; each section is lifted onto the foundation before the next section can be unloaded,” according to project documents. Oversized interstate tractor-trailer delivery schedules can be uncertain, creating potential timing challenges.
MMLD General Manager Joe Kowalik said the department will closely monitor weather forecasts and town-wide electric load during the three-day period when one set of feeder lines remains disconnected.
The upgrade addresses Marblehead’s growing electricity needs while preparing for future electrification initiatives. The department has been setting aside 5% of revenue annually for capital improvements, allowing major investments without impacting customer rates.
