National Grid Update on Essex Street

I met with National Grid representatives on Tuesday about the manhole covers that exploded on Essex Street last weekend. I asked them for an update that we could share with residents, and here it is:

National Grid has replaced the damaged section of electric cable that was determined to be the cause of a November 16 incident involving two manholes at Essex Street in Melrose. In addition, the company has installed two new manhole covers and will repair the sidewalks next week. The Department of Public Utilities has been notified and we will conduct a detailed evaluation of the incident, which will include an engineering review of the area’s electric infrastructure and capacity needs. Underground incidents such as this are uncommon and make up a statistical small portion of underground events. The safety of our customers, the communities we serve, and our employees is the number one priority of National Grid.