Work continues on a Georgia Power substation to serve the growing Clifton Corridor community, including the Emory University Hospital expansion project.  

The new Houston Chapel Substation, located at the north end of Burlington Road off of North Decatur Road, will ensure that large institutional customers in the area will continue to have reliable electric service.  

"We saw the need to increase capacity in this area due to expected continued growth," says Tony Rogers, Georgia Power project manager, explaining that Georgia Power considered a number of location options, "but this was the best, most practical longest-lasting solution."  

In early September, grading and construction will begin on the site. The overall project is expected to take about 18 months.  

The work is expected to cause minimal disruption. At a meeting with employees and others who work in the nearby North Decatur Building, Rogers stressed that "we will work with you to do everything we can" to minimize disruption and communicate construction updates.  

There will be times during construction "when we'll have to close parking lots," he said. Beginning in late August, there will be no parking on Burlington Road, though one lane will remain open at all times. Later, in the spring, the east parking lot in the North Decatur Building will close.  

"We'll be giving you notification beforehand to let you know that there will be some times during construction of this substation that we will have to close parts of the parking area, or parts of Burlington Road, and we will work with you to get that done," Rogers told employees.  

Georgia Power will soon begin tree removal to prepare the site for construction.  The trees will be replaced at other locations around campus per Emory's No Net Loss of Forest Canopy policy that protects campus trees.  

Substation construction will require dump trucks to haul dirt. Georgia Power will limit dump truck traffic to between 9 a.m.-4 p.m. to ease traffic flow in the area.  

Georgia Power is committed to providing regular communication updates on the project throughout construction.  For more information, visit the Houston Chapel Substation Project page.