The utility repairs that will force a temporary shutdown of the Atlanta Streetcar have been scheduled to start after Labor Day, MARTA announced Tuesday.

The work that Georgia Power and the city of Atlanta need to perform on underground transmission and sewer lines is unrelated to the streetcar itself, but the light-rail vehicles can’t operate safely next to the construction, officials have said previously.

Streetcar service will be suspended starting Sept. 8. Construction is scheduled to take three to four months, during which MARTA will offer service along the 2.7-mile loop using shuttle vans wrapped to look like the streetcar.

The construction was prompted by Georgia Power, which identified failure potential along an underground transmission line that powers downtown, including Grady Hospital. Fixing that line will require digging a pit 30 feet deep right next to the streetcar tracks.

MARTA and other agencies are timing other repairs to coincide with the electrical work to minimize disruption.

The city of Atlanta plans to replace sewer lines along Edgewood Avenue, and MARTA is using the closure to do track maintenance, station refurbishment and other upgrades along the route.

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