New power transmission line under construction
Grant County PUD/courtesy graphic The new Grant County PUD transmission line will extend from the Rocky Ford substation to the Dover substation on Patton Boulevard.
MOSES LAKE — Construction has started on a $7.95 million project to upgrade electrical transmission lines between the Rocky Ford substation and Moses Lake.
Grant County PUD crews have been stockpiling and distributing power poles along the route, piquing the curiosity of drivers traveling along SR 17. The new line, about 8 miles, will extend from the substation at Rocky Ford to the Dover substation on Patton Boulevard. Workers will be installing about 143 poles.
The goal is to improve reliability for Moses Lake-area customers, said Ryan Holterhoff, PUD public information officer. The additional line will allow the PUD to accommodate more customers, he said, and is designed to make it easier for the PUD to restore electrical service in the event of an outage.
Most of the line installation runs parallel to SR 17, but the PUD is building a permanent access road along the route. “Work will take place along this new access road.” That should mean little to no traffic delays along SR 17, Holterhoff said.
Installation of the 115-kilovolt line should be completed by the end of the year, with the line going into service in early 2018.