SALISBURY — Salisbury motorists will likely happen upon restricted roadways during the next couple of months as Duke Energy works to complete utility grid upgrades around town. 

In an email on Thursday, Duke Energy Lead Communications Manager Logan Kurezcka expanded on the nature of the work involved. 

“We have been undertaking and continue to conduct grid improvement work in the Salisbury area,” Kurezcka said. “This work includes installing smart, self-healing technology that automatically detects outages and reroutes power to restore service faster.”

Kurezcka likened the work to the functions of a GPS in the car, “which automatically reroutes” when an issue arises.

“We are also upgrading power poles, lines and other essential equipment and installing new equipment,” Kurezcka said. 

With Duke Energy customer consumption expected to increase significantly during the next 15 years, Kurezcka explained that they are preparing for the influx. 

“We’re continuing to see people move in large numbers to the Carolinas, including Rowan County and the city of Salisbury,” Kurezcka said. “This population boom is great for the economy but it also means more people and more businesses needing more energy. Duke Energy is preparing for this extraordinary growth in energy demand by prioritizing grid reliability.”

What that means on the ground is upgrades designed “individually and specifically” for the many communities that Duke Energy serves. 

“(It) will help reduce outages, strengthen our grid against severe weather and serve this ever-growing population,” Kurezcka said. 

Specifically, crews have been working on four substation projects around Salisbury.

The geographic areas where this work is focused include: 

• Statesville Boulevard area — concentrated work along Statesville Blvd from the VA Hospital past Jake Alexander Boulevard.    
• Salisbury Main area — concentrated work along Caldwell Street and around Salisbury Motor Company. 
• Sumner — concentrated work south of Salisbury towards Webb Road. 
• West End — concentrated work along Grove Street and W. Innes Street

According to Kurezcka, the work around Salisbury should conclude by the end of the first quarter of 2024.

“Once we complete these four projects, we do not have additional large projects in 2024 planned within the city of Salisbury,” Kurezcka said. “Additional work outside the city of Salisbury is planned for later in the year.

“While we’re not currently doing this in Salisbury, an example of a future project could be undergrounding outage-prone lines where data tells us it makes sense to do so.”