Boston Council Hears Safety Case for Burying Charlestown's Overhead Electrical Wires

BOSTON -- December 1, 2025, Boston City Council scrutinizes Charlestown electrical safety after July wire fire, hears undergrounding could cost up to $6 million per mile. The Committee on City Services and Innovation Technology, chaired by Councilor Enrique J. Pepén and convened on a docket sponsored by Councilor Gabriela Coletta Zapata, heard Monday that a July 29 Bartlett Street wire fire was delayed partly because the initial 911 call was misclassified as a minor road blockage rather than an imminent life threat, preventing Eversource from remotely cutting power for more than 30 minutes while Boston firefighters stood by. Resident Shannon Felton Spence documented three additional wire failures in the neighborhood since August, including a downed wire inches from strollers and a 911 report of a child shocked near an elementary school. Eversource offered a 2023 cost estimate of $2 million to $6 million per mile for undergrounding, with engineers warning inflation and Charlestown's dense, narrow streets would push costs higher; Verizon put conduit installation alone at roughly $300 per linear foot. The Office of Emergency Management confirmed it was not notified during the July incident and had no personnel on scene, a gap Councilor Edward M. Flynn called a critical coordination failure.