Ausgrid has begun upgrading the electricity network in Sydney’s inner west to make it safer and more reliable.

The project involves removing about 1.5 kilometres of cable from shop-fronts in King Street, Newtown, and replacing them with new underground cables. Ausgrid is also installing new pillars on the footpath and removing streetlight poles that will be replaced with smart poles by City of Sydney Council.

Trenching work on the north-bound side is expected to be completed in late 2011, and permanent reinstatement of the footpath is expected to occur in late 2012.