Puget Sound Energy (PSE) is encouraging neighbors and business owners to become involved in an ongoing conversation about the Energize Eastside project at a pair of open houses on Sept. 10 and 11. Plus, a new online open house feature has just launched on the project’s website, www.pse.com.

PSE initially identified 18 potential route options for the new, higher-capacity transmission lines. Earlier this summer, the project’s Community Advisory Group recommended 11 of those routes for further evaluation. Feedback from the public will help the advisory group make a recommendation to PSE later this year.

Since December of last year, PSE has been reaching out to Eastside neighbors to hear their thoughts about plans for the 18-mile electric transmission line project that will stretch between Redmond and Renton, along with a new substation. With renewed growth, more jobs and housing, and heavy electricity demand on the Eastside, the project is needed to maintain safe and dependable power in the decades to come.

The two open houses are informal gatherings to allow residents to learn the latest about the project from experts in various fields, including system planning, engineering and permitting. The same information will be shared at both events.

• Open House #1: 6-8 p.m. Sept. 10

Renton Pavilion Event Center, 233 Burnett Ave. S.

• Open House #2: 6-8 p.m. Sept. 11

Bellevue Hilton, 300 112th Ave. S.E.

For those who cannot attend an open house in person or who want more time to review the information, the materials for the events and a feedback survey can now be found by clicking the “Online Open House” button at www.pse.com/energizeeastside. Responses are due by Sept. 17.

The chosen route will move forward for design and permitting in early 2015. Construction on the new transmission lines is planned to begin in 2017, and should be operational in 2018.