Helicopters to String Cable Near Residences

Some neighborhoods in the eastern San Fernando Valley will be disrupted by helicopters during the next three weeks as the Los Angeles Department of Water and Power installs fiber-optic cable atop 35 miles of transmission lines.

Helicopters and ground crews are being used to wrap the cable around the topmost wire of existing lines. Officials said the helicopter work should be limited to 15 minutes in any one location. But they suggested that residents adjacent to transmission lines remove or secure lightweight objects that could be blown by helicopter winds.

The $2-million project will connect DWP headquarters in downtown Los Angeles with the Sylmar Converter Station at the northern end of the San Fernando Valley and with other DWP installations along the route.

Work began in Sylmar and will proceed south through Mission Hills, Arleta, North Hollywood, Burbank, and then along the Los Angeles River and through the Griffith Park area.