A January mudslide in the hills above Orinda threatened the stability of a PG&E transmission tower, but crews have secured the structure.
Favorable weather over the past few days allowed repair teams and engineers to completely shore up the soil beneath the tower and reroute power lines around the hazard located near Wilder Road along Highway 24.
Crews will eventually dismantle the tower and replace it, PG&E spokesperson Ari Vanrenen said.
In the meantime, a temporary line was installed along a series of poles to keep power flowing through the region. The temporary work is expected to be finished this weekend before officials finalize plans to tear down the soaring tower and install a new one.
The mudslide was originally discovered on Jan. 29, according to PG&E. Since that time, experts and engineers formulated a plan to stabilize the hill and the tower after the mudslide managed to shift the nearby landscape.
Crews used helicopters and other heavy equipment to survey the area, install large bags of dirt and rocks to protect the tower, and create the temporary line.
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The protective measures were taken "out of an abundance of caution," according to PG&E, and there are no homes in the vicinity of the tower that could be damaged in the event that it topples.
PG&E customers in the area were notified of the repair operations, and power was not impacted by the repair work.
