<p>You can just "jump over" other cities. From the <a href="http://riograndegames.com/getFile.php?id=698">rulebook</a>, p. 5 (emphasis mine).</p>

<blockquote>
  <p>A player may add any city (if there is room in the city for the
  player) to his network, regardless of its distance from his other
  cities. The player <strong>may build through a city without placing a house</strong>
  there if he wants or (more likely) if there is no room in the city.</p>
</blockquote>

<p><em>edit:</em> naturally you have to pay any incurring connection costs to the city you are going to. The game does not retain memory of the connection costs that you've paid, so you might have to pay some connection costs twice.</p>

<p><em>example:</em> consider cities <code>A -- B -- C</code>, with the connection costs being $3 for <code>A -- B</code> and $4 for <code>B -- C</code>. Alice is in city A, Bob in city B, nobody in city C. </p>

<ul>
<li>Alice may built in city C! She has to pay $10 for being the first to connect there, plus $7 for the incurring connection costs (A to B, B to C), for a total of $17.</li>
<li>When step 2 kicks in, Alice wants to connect to B. She will pay <strong>again</strong> the connection costs of $3 between <code>A -- B</code> (because it's cheaper than paying $4 for <code>C -- B</code>) plus $15 for being the second to connect there, for a total of $18. Even though she had paid earlier the connection costs for <code>A -- B</code>, the game does not remember it, so she pays again for it.</li>
</ul>

<p>NB: originally commented by @GendoIkari, added here with an example for completeness.</p>

CC BY-SA 3.0
2017-02-05T01:25:31.690Z
I would add that you will have to pay extra connection fees in this case; you need to pay all connections between any city you have and where you are building.
GendoIkari
CC BY-SA 3.0
2017-02-08T03:05:02.820Z
@GendoIkari Yes, although I considered it "self-understood", I did include a clarification with an example, just for the sake of completeness. Well spotted, thank you for the feedback! :)
Adama
CC BY-SA 3.0
2017-02-05T00:50:37.377Z
2017-02-08T18:39:41.980Z
2017-02-08T18:39:41.980Z
Adama
<p>If the only way to expand your network is through an occupied city before you reach the stage that allows you on it, what happens?</p>

<power-grid>
What happens when you are hemmed in?
Mark
# What happens when you are hemmed in?

(Asked by: username_0 on 2017-02-05)

If the only way to expand your network is through an occupied city before you reach the stage that allows you on it, what happens?

**Tags:** power-grid


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## 1 answers

### Answer by username_1 on 2017-02-05. Score: 19 | Accepted answer

You can just "jump over" other cities. From the [rulebook](http://riograndegames.com/getFile.php?id=698), p. 5 (emphasis mine).

> A player may add any city (if there is room in the city for the
> player) to his network, regardless of its distance from his other
> cities. The player **may build through a city without placing a house**
> there if he wants or (more likely) if there is no room in the city.

*edit:* naturally you have to pay any incurring connection costs to the city you are going to. The game does not retain memory of the connection costs that you've paid, so you might have to pay some connection costs twice.

*example:* consider cities `A -- B -- C`, with the connection costs being $3 for `A -- B` and $4 for `B -- C`. Alice is in city A, Bob in city B, nobody in city C.

* Alice may built in city C! She has to pay $10 for being the first to connect there, plus $7 for the incurring connection costs (A to B, B to C), for a total of $17.
* When step 2 kicks in, Alice wants to connect to B. She will pay **again** the connection costs of $3 between `A -- B` (because it's cheaper than paying $4 for `C -- B`) plus $15 for being the second to connect there, for a total of $18. Even though she had paid earlier the connection costs for `A -- B`, the game does not remember it, so she pays again for it.

NB: originally commented by @username_2, added here with an example for completeness.

> **Comments:**
> **username_2**: I would add that you will have to pay extra connection fees in this case; you need to pay all connections between any city you have and where you are building.  
> **username_1**: @username_2 Yes, although I considered it "self-understood", I did include a clarification with an example, just for the sake of completeness. Well spotted, thank you for the feedback! :)  

---

