Xcel's Power Line Left Leetsdale, and Hilltop's Side Streets Became the Route

East Bayaud Avenue between South Clermont Street and South Bellaire Street is closed for the second half of October. The Bayaud Cycleway is closed with it, and a block away, South Birch Street is shut from East Cedar Avenue to East Ellsworth Avenue. Two months earlier the trench was on East Cedar between South Glencoe and South Fairfax. Back in January it was on Cedar between Fairfax and Eudora.

It's the same project each time, moving block by block across south Hilltop. Xcel Energy is replacing the six-mile Leetsdale-Monroe-Elati 230-kilovolt underground transmission line. The old cable doesn't run under any of these streets. It runs under Leetsdale Drive and Speer Boulevard.

The Line Moved Off Leetsdale and Onto Your Block

According to Xcel's project page, the existing line can't be replaced where it sits. Leetsdale and Speer carry too much traffic to dig up safely, the old line has to stay energized while the new one goes in, and the underground space under those roads is too tight for a larger cable. So the replacement needed a new path. Xcel says it picked one that stays off collector and arterial roads, which it says supports safe construction, operation, and maintenance of the line.

That rule accounts for the closure list. With the arterials and collectors excluded, the route goes onto local streets, and in south Hilltop that means blocks like Cedar, Bayaud, Birch and Ellsworth, where the trench now runs right past front doors.

Xcel says the demand behind the project comes from growth. Central and southeast Denver have grown quickly, and the company is installing "a larger, more modern electric cable system" to keep up.

Where the Trench Has Been, and Where It Is Now

The work uses the open-trench method. Crews cut and remove the pavement, dig a trench, and set the cable and precast concrete vaults inside it. This is the trail it has left through and around Hilltop in 2026, pulled from the Hilltop Neighborhood Association, Denver Council District 5, and Xcel's own posted schedule.

The October dates come from Xcel's schedule as updated October 13, 2026. Xcel warns that weather, material availability, and buried obstacles can all shift them.

The route also reaches past Alameda into the blocks just south of Hilltop. The District 5 newsletter listed closures on South Jersey Street between East Virginia Avenue and Leetsdale, on South Glencoe between East Dakota and Alameda, and on East Dakota from the 5400 block to South Forest. Xcel's own list of Phase 1 roads includes South Ivy Street and East Virginia Avenue too. If your daily drive heads toward Leetsdale, those segments have been part of it all year.

Southeast to Northwest, Then Into Cherry Creek

The closures follow a direction. Xcel says crews started at the Leetsdale substation, at the southeast corner of the project, and are working northwest toward the Monroe substation. The District 5 newsletter places the Leetsdale substation on Leetsdale Drive, between George Washington High School and the Greenway. That explains why the earliest work showed up south of Alameda and why it has been moving into Hilltop's southern blocks as the year went on.

The full calendar looks like this:

1. Phase 1, Leetsdale to Monroe. About 2.0 miles. Construction started in November 2025, and Xcel plans to finish in spring 2027.
2. Phase 2, Monroe to Elati. Started in August 2026 and scheduled through spring 2028.
3. In service. The new line is scheduled to start carrying power in 2028.

Phase 2 is already running a few blocks northwest in Cherry Creek. As of the October 13 schedule, East 4th Avenue was closed between Fillmore Street and Clayton Street, including the Detroit intersection, through November 2. Circle Drive was closed between Hawthorne Place and 4th through October 29. Monroe Street was closed between 2nd and 4th, including the 3rd Avenue intersection, through November 2. Until Phase 1 wraps up in spring 2027, a drive from Hilltop toward Cherry Creek North can pass work from both phases. After that, Phase 2 continues on its own into 2028.

Holly Street, Hilltop's eastern edge, has been affected too. At the April 7, 2026 District 5 Community Cabinet, Councilwoman Sawyer asked when Holly would reopen, and Xcel estimated about three weeks, according to the meeting minutes posted by the City of Denver.

What Xcel Has Committed To on a Residential Block

Running a transmission project through residential streets means it has to work around driveways, trash days, and parked cars. In its November 2025 open house Q&A and on its project page, Xcel has committed to the following:

• Work hours. Monday through Friday, 7 a.m. to 7 p.m., and Saturday, 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. Evening, night, or Sunday work can happen in some situations. The Hilltop Neighborhood Association listed Saturday hours running to 7 p.m., so check Xcel's weekly notice for your block.
• Garage and home access. Crews work block by block and aim to keep access to garages and homes open outside working hours. If a driveway has to be restricted, the District 5 newsletter says a construction representative will contact residents ahead of time and restore access as quickly as possible.
• Trash day. Xcel says it coordinates with Denver Waste Collection and will move bins and bring them back if needed.
• Sidewalks and pavement. Affected sidewalks and areas are to be restored to their previous condition, including ADA compliance. The project page adds that restoration happens as weather allows, and a work area may get a temporary surface before final restoration. A patched strip on your street this winter may be the temporary layer, with the final surface still to come.
• Trees. Construction can involve pruning, trimming, or removing vegetation. Xcel says it weighed tree impacts when planning to limit disruption.
• EV charging. This program is new this month. If construction blocks the route to your usual home charger, Xcel is piloting a mobile charging unit for eligible residents. It asks for seven days' notice when possible and a signed participation waiver.

If you have questions about electric and magnetic fields, Xcel links its EMF information page from the project site.

The Weekly Email Is the Map That Stays Current

A closure list like the table above goes out of date within days, because crews keep moving northwest. Xcel posts closures weekly and sends weekly construction notices to anyone on its email list. To sign up, email [email protected]. For the EV pilot or a block-specific question, call 303-716-8990.

The notices have a good track record so far. At that April Community Cabinet meeting, a Cherry Creek East representative called the project's email notifications "useful, timely and accurate," according to the city's minutes. The Hilltop Neighborhood Association has also passed along closures for South Hilltop as they're announced.

Phase 1 is scheduled to finish in spring 2027, Phase 2 in spring 2028, and Xcel's new cable is due to carry power along the full route in 2028.

If your block is on this route and you're planning a sale, the timing of the trench and of final street restoration can affect how your listing photographs and shows. Tatiana Torres and The NEST at Compass can look at your street's construction calendar alongside current Hilltop pricing and help you choose a listing window. Start with "What's My Home Worth?"