Pepco Upgrades Its Systems in Hill East

After multiple power outages this month, Hill East residents may get relief.

Pepco replaced equipment near Pennsylvania and Potomac avenues SE overnight today, the company told Hill Now.

“Crews replaced approximately 150 feet of primary cable, replaced and increased the capacity of transformers in order to accommodate a new structure on the 1400 block of Pennsylvania Ave., SE, and re-routed a feeder off a property near 16th and Pennsylvania Ave., SE,” Pepco said in a statement.

During the work, about 500 customers were without power from 11:30 p.m. Tuesday through about 7:30 a.m. Wednesday, Pepco said. The company placed door hangers on March 18 and 19 on homes they expected to be affected. One local reported not having been notified of the outage.

Hill East was hit by power outages early this month, including on March 2, when more than 500 customers were left in the dark for more than 20 hours. The owner of the Pennsylvania Avenue bar Wisdom said the outages forced him to shut down two Sundays in a row. “It really sucks for business,” he said.

The 1400 block of Pennsylvania Ave. SE, where Pepco upgraded infrastructure, may be the future site of a retail strip with more than 150 apartments and possibly a restaurant or brewery, a developer said last month. The standalone New York Pizza restaurant is on that land now.