By Manny Grossman

On Dec. 13, the New York state Public Service Commission gave Con Edison the official go ahead to begin construction on a controversial new power line which will run from Yonkers to Manhattan right through the heart of Riverdale.

"Work is scheduled to begin in the Bronx in February or March," said Chris Olert, a Con Ed spokesman.

Although Mr. Olert was not able to say exactly what portion of Riverdale would be dug up first, he said that residents would receive advanced notice before the backhoes roll in.

In making its decision, the PSC approved portions of Con Ed's Environmental Management and Construction Plan, a sweeping document that outlines how the company will deal with issues such as noise, blocking of emergency services, effects to local businesses, tree removal, manhole placement and curb restoration. The commission rejected the first plan last August after deeming it too vague. They ordered Con Ed at that time to revise it to "address the construction related, local community impacts in Yonkers, Riverdale, the Bronx and Manhattan."

In November, Con Ed representatives presented Community Board 8 a revised plan, the bulk of which was unchanged from the original. However, it did go into more detail about how Con Ed would coordinate with local mass transit, fire and other emergency services affected by the route.

At that time, Saul Scheinbach, chairman of Community Board 8's environment and sanitation committee felt that the new plan would be approved. He reluctantly accepted Con Ed's assertions that the details would be worked out as the line snaked its way down Riverdale Avenue from the Yonkers border.

Assemblyman Jeffrey Dinowitz, a fierce critic of the power line, said he was pleased at one "small victory" he achieved; the PSC ordered Con Ed to repave the entire lane of traffic it will be digging rather than narrow patches.

Although Mr. Dinowitz would have preferred to see the entire roadway repaved, Con Ed claimed that curb-to-curb repaving would cost an additional $19 million and add 140 weeks of construction time, a claim Mr. Dinowitz felt was ridiculous.