Power outage scheduled for Ogden Valley on Saturday

OGDEN VALLEY -- A power outage has been scheduled for Saturday that will leave Ogden Valley residents without power for several hours, according to Rocky Mountain Power.

David Eskelsen, a Rocky Mountain Power spokesman, said the blackout is scheduled to last from around 7 a.m. until about 1 p.m. while crews replace a transmission pole just west of The Oaks restaurant at 750 Ogden Canyon Road (S.R. 39). The road will be closed beginning at 5 a.m. while a crane is assembled for the job, and should reopen by 3 p.m.

Utah Highway Patrol troopers and the Utah Department of Transportation will assist in the road closure. Electronic message boards will be stationed at Mile Markers 8.6 and 13.8 to alert motorists and canyon residents of the impending closure.

During the closure, Ogden Valley destinations will be accessible from S.R. 167 and the Trappers Loop Highway, via Interstate 84 at Exit 92 in Weber Canyon, according to UDOT spokesman Vic Saunders.

The power outage and road closure are subject to the weather, Eskelsen said.

"There is a chance of rain, but the forecast doesn't look too ominous," Eskelsen said Monday. "Wind will be a major factor because it will affect the crane. If it's stormy and windy, we will probably have to postpone it. We want to get the work done before too much snow accumulates up there."

The Snowbasin resort will not be affected by the outage because its portion of the line will not be taken out of service, Eskelsen said.

Eskelsen said Rocky Mountain Power regrets the inconvenience of the shutoff but said it was necessary. Preventive maintenance is performed year round and Rocky Mountain Power identifies problems and repairs them as quickly as possible, he said.

"The pole needs to be replaced before winter sets in. A replacement during winter would be more complicated and probably take longer," Eskelsen said. "This (outage) is unusual because it affects a larger area. There is not another transmission line serving the Ogden Valley. Usually we can supply the substation from another line."