HomeMy WebLinkAboutN.354323 - Aerial Variance Request Letter
7235 S 228th St
Kent, WA 98032
August 20, 2018
City of Renton, Department of Community & Economic Development
1055 South Grady Way
Renton, WA 98057
RE : Variance for overhead installation of communication lines and facilities
To whom it may concern,
This letter is being sent as a revised application for a variance to the undergrounding requirements found in Renton
Municipal Code (RMC) 4-6-090 subsection C which states that “All new electrical or communication facilities shall
be required to be installed underground”. CenturyLink is reapplying for this aerial variance with a new aerial route
due to the build costs of the original design outweighing the general welfare consideration implicit with new
underground installation:
1. Underground construction would be far more intrusive and be the cause of a greater disturbance to local
residences, when considering noise, duration of work, and pedestrian and vehicle traffic.
2. Placement and overlash of a new fiber optic cable to existing aerial facilities will not cause an adverse
impact to residents. The aerial construction will be complete within a couple of days and CenturyLink will
clean overlashed spans as necessary. In comparison, it can take several days, up to a couple weeks, to
complete all placement and restoration with the underground construction.
3. Construction of new underground facilities poses greater risk to existing underground utilities within the
work area – such as sewer, water, and existing underground power facilities.
4. As reflected in the attached price comparison for underground vs aerial overlash fiber installation regarding
this project, the cost for partial or complete underground construction would increase the cost of facility
placement by 37.49 times (about $143k) or by 13.09 times (about $47.4k), respectively, compared to
overhead facility placement.
With the approval of the variance, CenturyLink will commence with the coordination and implementation of
overhead facility installation and traffic control as required to ensure public safety. CenturyLink and its contractors
agree to follow the requirements and standards provided by the City of Renton to make certain the safe and efficient
installation of the proposed facilities.
If you have any further questions or concerns regarding this project, please contact Jesse Patjens at 206-733-8591
or Jesse.Patjens@CenturyLink.com.
Sincerely,
Jesse Patjens
Construction Project Administrator
CenturyLink Local Network Implementation