Washington State’s Snohomish County PUD is giving customers the opportunity to help shape the look of the Everett to Delta 115-kV Transmission Project including the color of new poles.
The new line will support increasing electrical demand in the northern regions of the PUD’s service territory. It will also provide increased reliability and prevent the electric system from experiencing low voltage should local power be interrupted.
The new transmission line and structures will be similar in design and height to the PUD’s existing 115-kV structures currently in Everett.
Voting for the color of the new poles occurred from June to August 31, 2026. The color selected for the poles was “Steel Blue.” Steel Blue received more votes than the other two colors combined (237 vs. 187), giving it a clear majority.
There will be an upcoming “Call for Artists” to submit ideas for vinyl wraps on a number of poles.
The PUD estimates the line will be in service by end of year 2027.
Erica Keene, public relations and media liaison for the PUD, noted that Snohomish PUD has engaged with the community in a similar way related to other infrastructure projects.
“The PUD has engaged communities around infrastructure projects for many years, but our approach has continued to evolve. The Everett-Delta Line project was an important step forward in that evolution, reinforcing the value of engaging directly with customers, local governments and other key stakeholders early and often throughout the process,” she said in an email.
“For Everett-Delta, we worked closely with the City of Everett starting early-on in the project to explain the need for the work, discuss potential routes and understand community priorities.”
The PUD also expanded outreach “based on what we heard, including connecting with Community Transit and meeting directly with HOAs and other neighborhood residents. When customers told us they wanted more information and more structured opportunities to engage, we adjusted our approach and provided additional presentations and opportunities for discussion.”
The PUD is carrying those lessons forward on projects such as the Marysville-Getchell Transmission Line and another project in Maltby. “The goal is to continue strengthening a model in which the PUD leads its community engagement, identifies key stakeholders early and creates meaningful opportunities for customers and partners to engage and be heard,” Keene said.
Keene also discussed the benefits of engaging with the community in this way.
Early and meaningful engagement helps build trust while giving the PUD a better understanding of what matters most to the people who will live with the impacts of the project every day, she noted.
"It also gives us an opportunity to explain why infrastructure improvements are needed, while listening to concerns and identifying opportunities to reduce community impacts and give the community a voice throughout the process."
The Everett-Delta project demonstrated that details that may seem relatively small from an engineering perspective can be very important to the community, Keene said.
"For example, customers expressed significant interest in the appearance of the new transmission infrastructure. That feedback led to conversations around wrapping six transmission poles and incorporating artwork and community identity into their design."
Engagement also helped customers understand the need for the project and gave them a greater sense of ownership in the process, she pointed out.
"By listening, responding to feedback and returning to the community when additional discussion was needed, the PUD was able to strengthen relationships with the City of Everett, neighborhoods, businesses and others. Those lessons are helping shape how we approach future infrastructure projects, with an emphasis on engaging earlier, communicating more directly and making community input a meaningful part of the process."
