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Dominion Energy outlines 13‑mile Burton Station transmission line rebuild near Virginia Beach airport
Summary
Dominion Energy briefed council on a 13‑mile transmission line replacement project using existing right‑of‑way; the work will replace about 87 wooden poles and proceed in four phases with outreach planned to Bayfront and local neighborhood groups.
Dominion Energy told Virginia Beach City Council Tuesday it plans to replace nearly the entire 27 Line that runs from Burton Station substation west toward the airport and down Dam Neck Road to the Virginia Beach substation, a roughly 13‑mile transmission corridor the company says needs rebuilding to maintain reliability.
"This project is necessary to maintain reliable energy power in the area," said Sean Doherty, senior communications specialist for Dominion Energy’s electric transmission projects. Doherty described visible tower lean, woodpecker damage and salt contamination as inspection findings that prompted the multi‑year effort.
Project basics and schedule
- Scope: The project will use existing right‑of‑way; Dominion plans to replace about 87 wooden poles plus some concrete and steel structures, leaving some more recent poles in place. Distribution lines are shared on many transmission poles and will be transitioned onto rebuilt structures where necessary.
- Length and phasing: Dominion described the line as almost 13 miles. The company will break construction into four phases. Doherty said pre‑construction activities (access matting, staking, light trimming and surveying) were imminent; the presentation showed a Phase 1 construction start in April, with later phases continuing into 2026–2027 (one slide showed September 2026–December 2027 for a later phase), subject to weather and progress.
- Outreach and engagement: Dominion said it will hold an open house at Bayside Baptist Church for Phase 1, meet the Bayfront Advisory Commission on Feb. 20 and engage neighborhood groups including the Bayville Farms dog park group and the Western Bayside Community United. The company also plans a "backyard" web map so residents can enter addresses and see nearby work locations.
Safety, access and impacts
Rick McClain, project manager for the work, said Dominion has been coordinating with city engineers on Shore Drive phase‑3 and other stormwater/sidewalk projects and will try to avoid conflicts. McClain told council the project expects lane closures and flagging operations (primarily on North Hampton Boulevard) but not full road closures or detours.
Council members asked about impacts to parks, tree canopy and timing; Dominion said remaining design work will try to accommodate planned sidewalk expansions, transit and other public works improvements and that they will provide further details and addresses for substations. Dominion also emphasized its hope to minimize tree removals and to use permeable materials where possible.
Why it matters: The line rebuild is intended to prevent outages in a densely used corridor and to modernize aging transmission infrastructure. The company said the work will be visible in neighborhoods and the city should expect multi‑season work with dedicated outreach.
