Why South Hilltop's Side Streets Keep Closing, One Block at a Time, Until 2028

Why does a quiet stretch of East Cedar Avenue spend weeks behind fencing while Leetsdale Drive, a few blocks south, keeps moving? The fencing has been showing up across South Hilltop since January, and it all comes from one project. Xcel Energy is replacing the six-mile, 230-kilovolt Leetsdale-Monroe-Elati underground transmission line. The new cable is going under neighborhood streets because the utility can't put it back where the old one sits.

That one constraint explains the closures, why each one blocks a full street, and why the work will keep turning up on blocks between the Leetsdale and Elati substations until the line goes into service in 2028.

The Line Had to Leave Leetsdale

On its project page, Xcel says the existing cable lies "predominantly beneath Leetsdale Drive and Speer Boulevard, both heavily used thoroughfares." The utility lists three reasons it can't rebuild in place: safety concerns in heavy traffic, the need to keep the old line energized during construction, and the amount of underground space a replacement requires. The new route "avoids collector and aerial roadways." Busy arterials are off the table, so the trench moves onto the residential grid.

The new line starts at the Leetsdale substation at Leetsdale Drive and South Jersey Street. Phase 1 runs 2.0 miles from there to the Monroe substation, and Phase 2 runs another 4.0 miles from Monroe to the Elati substation. In the November 2025 virtual open house Q&A, Xcel listed the Phase 1 streets that will see temporary closures: East Ellsworth Avenue, South Birch Street, East Cedar Avenue, South Glencoe Street, East Dakota Avenue, South Ivy Street, East Virginia Avenue and South Jersey Street.

That is why the Hilltop Neighborhood Association says the project "directly effects residents who live in South Hilltop." The association also told the rest of Hilltop to expect intermittent street and sidewalk closures, detours, and the noise that comes with underground excavation.

Why the Whole Block Closes at Once

A lane-by-lane approach might seem gentler, with half the street open and cars squeezing past the work. Xcel decided against it, and the Q&A explains why. Vault locations depend on where water, sewer, gas and other utilities already sit under each block. Those lines "are hardly ever consistent," so the utility can't promise the vault will end up on one side of the road. The plan is to close each block from both directions for its full length.

Xcel says closures "average between one and three weeks," and the stated goal is about one to three weeks per block. Some areas could take up to four. Deeper trenches, undocumented utilities and poor utility records can all stretch that.

Xcel's open house boards show what happens on a single block, in order:

1. Crews cut the pavement.
2. They remove the pavement and dig the trench.
3. They set precast splice vaults with manhole covers.
4. They install trench boxes and conduit.
5. They pour concrete and slurry backfill.
6. They install the electric cable system.
7. They lay temporary pavement.
8. Permanent restoration comes last.

The last two steps explain a patch that looks unfinished after the fencing is gone. Xcel says it will restore work areas to the conditions its permits require "as weather allows," and some areas may stay "temporarily restored" until final restoration is done.

The one-to-three-week figure is per block. A run of several blocks takes longer from end to end. In January 2026, the association's newsletter announced a closure of East Cedar Avenue between South Fairfax and South Eudora starting January 16, "for up to three weeks." The next stretch of Cedar to the east, from South Glencoe to South Fairfax with the South Forest intersection closed, was on Xcel's schedule from August 19 to October 16.

The Blocks on the Schedule This Month

Xcel posts a temporary closure schedule and updates it as work shifts. The table below reflects the version marked "updated 10/13/2026 @ 11 a.m."

Xcel says the schedule may change because of weather, the availability of materials or resources, or the discovery of underground obstacles. The Bayaud and Birch segments in the table also appeared in the association's May 1, 2026 update. That update notes the Bayaud closure includes the Bayaud Cycleway, and it says the Birch closure covers the Birch and Bayaud intersection. In the Q&A, Xcel said it works to avoid dedicated bike lanes marked by the city and that the city may require detours for bike paths when it reviews permits. On this stretch, cyclists should look for posted detours.

What Xcel Says It Will Handle at the Curb

Because the line runs under residential streets, many of the questions Hilltop neighbors raised at the November 2025 open house were about everyday routines. Here is what Xcel committed to in the Q&A and on its project page:

• Getting home in the evening. Every block gets its own traffic plan, with work consolidated after business hours so residents can get in and out each day.
• Garages and trash day. Xcel says it will keep home and garage access open outside business hours, coordinate with Denver Waste Collection, and move bins and return them if needed.
• Hours. The project page lists Monday through Friday from 7 a.m. to 7 p.m. and Saturdays from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. Evening, night or Sunday work is possible in some situations. In the Q&A, Xcel said crews expected to arrive around 7:30 a.m. and that door hangers would go out before work begins.
• Working from home. Residents who need to leave during the workday can ask for access, and Xcel says it will accommodate individual needs where feasible if it hears from them ahead of time.
• Sidewalks. Xcel says sidewalks will stay open, and any sidewalk that is damaged or removed will be restored to its previous condition and to ADA standards.
• Trees. Xcel says it weighed tree impacts when choosing the route, and residents may see pruning, trimming or vegetation removal.
• Property damage. Contractors handle claims, which residents can file through the project email, the project phone line or crew members on site.
• Electric vehicles. For households whose usual charging spot is blocked by the work, Xcel has a mobile EV charging pilot. It asks for seven days' notice when possible, and participants sign a waiver. Requests go to 303-716-8990 or [email protected].

The same email address handles sign-ups for weekly construction notices. That list is the most direct way to find out when the fencing is coming to a particular block.

Where the Trench Goes After Hilltop

Phase 1 runs from November 2025 to Spring 2027. Phase 2 is listed for August 2026 to Spring 2028, so the two phases overlap on Xcel's calendar, and the October schedule posts closures for both. Xcel's Spring 2026 fact sheet gave an earlier start for Phase 2, and the live project page is the more recent schedule. Phase 1 moves in order, from Leetsdale toward Monroe. Phase 2 may not, because its start point depends on permits and on working around schools.

Phase 2's October closures on 4th Avenue, Circle Drive and Monroe Street sit on the Monroe-to-Elati segment, past the end of the South Hilltop work. The Cherry Creek East Association has told its neighbors to expect street and driveway impacts through 2028, with advance notice if a driveway has to close. Xcel also says it is coordinating with Denver on the 6th to 10th Avenue watermain work and will schedule its blocks around approved city projects.

In Hilltop, Phase 1 work on the streets Xcel has named between the Leetsdale substation and Monroe is scheduled through Spring 2027, and Xcel lists 2028 as the year the new line goes into service.

At Helm Weaver Helm, we watch these block-by-block schedules closely because they shape how a street looks and how easy it is to reach on any given week. If your block is on Xcel's list and you're planning a sale, a renovation or a broker open in the next year, we'll help you schedule around the fencing. Book an Appointment with a partner.