NY Approves 90-Mile Underground Power Line
Utilities and contractors in Queens, the Bronx, and nearby counties should plan for road excavation along the approved route.
Updated on Nov. 3, 2026 in Utilities
Live Poll
Would you support a major power line project if it dug up your neighborhood streets?
The New York State Public Service Commission approved Propel NY Energy's certificate of environmental compatibility and public need in September, clearing a plan for roughly 90 miles of new underground transmission lines across five counties, including Queens and the Bronx. Community Board 11 in Queens has since sent a letter seeking allies to oppose the project.
Why it matters
The project is framed as a response to an electrical grid that has not been updated since the 1980s, and it is meant to carry power from offshore wind, a source now shelved by the Trump administration. For utilities and contractors serving New York City, the approved route and local opposition signal how transmission upgrades will be sequenced and contested.
The project spans roughly 90 miles of new underground transmission at 138 and 345 kilovolts, linking nine existing or new substations across Suffolk, Nassau, Queens, Bronx, and Westchester Counties. Those figures describe the approved scope against a grid the letter says has not been updated since the 1980s, though the source gives no cost figure.
The players
Propel NY Energy
A joint venture of New York Transco and the New York Power Authority developing the transmission project.
New York State Public Service Commission
The state regulator that approved the project's certificate of environmental compatibility and public need and its Queens route.
Community Board 11
A Queens community board that sent a letter seeking allies to oppose the project.
John Liu
A New York State senator who backs the decision to keep lines off Joe Michaels Mile.
The details
The route would dig up miles of roads, running from Northern Boulevard at the Nassau County border to the waterline at Francis Lewis Park, and it would cross beneath the East River to reach the Bronx. Horizontal directional drilling is not considered viable along Joe Michaels Mile, so the PSC-approved route on September 17 avoids running lines beneath that segment. Sen. John Liu supports that routing decision.
Timeline
The 1980s: the existing electrical grid was last updated.
September: the PSC approved Propel's certificate of environmental compatibility and public need.
September 17: the PSC approved the route through Queens.
Last month: Community Board 11 raised concern about the shelving of the offshore wind project.
November 3, 2026: Community Board 11 held a board meeting where Liu spoke.
Market Landscape
The project was designed to carry power from an offshore wind effort the Trump administration has shelved, leaving the transmission build's supply rationale unsettled. Its approval through state regulatory channels shows how New York moves grid upgrades forward even as federal support for a key generation source has been withdrawn.
Contractors and utilities working in Queens, the Bronx, and along the proposed corridor should plan for road excavation and sequencing around the approved route. Operators should also factor in that the project's supply source has been shelved, which adds uncertainty to its long-term load assumptions.
The takeaway
Operators with exposure to New York City transmission work should track the approved routing and the status of the offshore wind supply the line was built to carry. Watch for Community Board 11's organizing efforts, since local opposition can affect construction timing.
Further reading
For more on the grid buildout behind this route, see Utilities coverage in New York City.
Source note: This article includes information reported by QNS.
Live Poll
Would you support a major power line project if it dug up your neighborhood streets?
