Belco roadworks on Harrington Sound Road in Hamilton Parish will be suspended during Cup Match to improve ease of access to the cricket match in St George’s.

The news came as Belco thanked drivers for their patience saying that the company was aware of the frustrations caused by roadworks.

The company said trenching between Shark Hole Hill and Paynter’s Road would be suspended during Cup Match.

Wayne Caines, the company president, said he was aware of the traffic delays caused by trench work and understood the public’s frustration.

He said: “The upgrades are critical to ensuring a more reliable and adaptable grid that will serve us for many years to come and enable the addition of large-scale renewables to be added to the grid.

“Thank you for your patience as we upgrade or underground transmission cables.”

Belco set out to upgrade its transmission, distribution and retail assets last year to replace about 40 per cent of its underground transmission cables to ensure efficiency and cost effectiveness. The cables being replaced are more than 50 years old.

Shelly Leman, managing director of transmission, distribution and retail, said many of the cables, transmitters and distributors were “well beyond their useful lifespans” and were expensive to maintain.

She said the current grid was not well-suited to support large amounts of power from renewable resources or from sources spread out across the grid.

She said the new cables would be installed in “multi-service duct banks” that would prevent the need to dig up the roads every time a cable had to be replaced.

“The transmission cables serve as the backbone of the grid and their replacement represents a critical step in moving Bermuda towards its sustainable energy future,” she said. “The updates will reinforce critical distribution infrastructure such as for schools and cell towers.

“They will also enable grid modernisation projects such as supporting Advanced Metering Infrastructure,” he said.