FORT COLLINS, COLO - A two-year construction project by Platte River Power Authority to enhance electricity reliability for the City of Longmont is scheduled to begin in early May. The construction is a major upgrade to the electric transmission system on the north and west sides of Longmont.
"The existing transmission lines on the north and west sides of Longmont were installed in the 1950s and 1960s when electric usage and the City's population were much smaller than today," said Platte River General Manager Brian Moeck. "Platte River expects this project to provide reliable delivery of electricity to Longmont for many years to come."
The project has been meticulously planned to assure that the reliability of electric service is not affected during construction.
Work will begin in early May along east 21st Avenue from the Burlington Northern Sante Fe Railroad tracks to Main Street. In mid-May, work will start near the intersection of west 21st Avenue and Harvard Street. Later this year and into early 2010, replacement of existing overhead transmission structures along 21st Avenue from Main Street to Hover Street and County Line Road east to the Burlington Northern Railroad Tracks is scheduled.
Transmission line work will continue through 2010 and into the spring of 2011, with work on the west side of Longmont near Dawson and Hover Parks through the Twin Peaks Golf Course, Golden Ponds and south to the Fordham Substation located at the corner of Fordham Street and Clover Basin Drive.
By fall 2010, work will start on expanding Fordham Substation. The entire project is scheduled to be complete in the spring of 2011.
Platte River Power Authority generates and delivers reliable, low-cost and environmentally responsible electricity to its owner communities of Estes Park, Fort Collins, Longmont and Loveland, Colorado, where it is distributed by each municipal utility to residents and businesses. For more information, please visit, www.prpa.org.