Poles and Wires Along Tunnel Hiking Trail Removed

On December 15 utility crews completed the final removal of surplus utility poles and wires along the  popular Tunnel Road Hiking Trail in upper Mission Canyon. This action was the product of several years  of advocacy by Friends of Mission Canyon. 

“The hiking public will immediately notice a different look and feel for the lower section of Tunnel Trail” explained Marc Chytilo, counsel to the community group Friends of Mission Canyon. “The removal of  the overhead wires and eight telephone poles from just north of the trailhead to the bridge opens up views  for hikers and eliminates a significant fire hazard.”  

Several years ago FOMC developed the technical and policy justification for removal of the electrical  service in upper Mission Canyon, which served a telemetry station for a part of the city’s water system.  In 2019, after FOMC’s repeated requests, the City agreed to use other methods to manage these facilities and notified SCE that it no longer needed the electrical service. The wire and pole removal occurred over  a week and was completed on December 15, 2020.