A one-block section on Fourth Street downtown near YES Cinema could remain closed another 30 days as renovation work continues for utilities and the former Sears building now occupied by Cummins, Inc. offices.
Duke Energy started exterior work on the street in late July, receiving permission from the Columbus Board of Works to work on an underground vault which contains a transformer providing electricity to the building.
At the same time the electrical infrastructure work began, Cummins began renovation work inside the former Sears retail store, and the road closing has been extended so all of it may be completed at the same time, said Chip Orben, Duke Energy spokesman.
The Duke Energy vault underneath the south Fourth Street sidewalk provides access to the underground transformer, which was being removed by crane on Friday and replaced with an above-ground transformer, Orben said.
While the work may not take an additional 30 days, Duke Energy and Cummins officials are seeking that amount of time to finish the project.
The work affects one side of the cinema, blocking the sidewalk, and also requires traffic to detour toward Mill Race Park from the post office, which also faces Fourth Street.
Barricades and fencing have been placed on both ends of the project area while the work continues.
For more on this story, see today’s Republic.
