Construction is underway on a new 69-kilovolt Salt River Project power line through the Kyrene Corridor – a project that a year ago had residents up in arms over the threat of the utility stringing the high-voltage wire on poles through areas where there are no overhead lines.

SRP and the cities of Tempe and Chandler eventually reached agreement on where the new 69-kV line would be buried to appease homeowners despite the huge increase in costs per mile.

The new power line will connect the Hanger substation at Guadalupe Road and the Loop 101 freeway with the Houston Substation on McClintock Road, north of Ray Road.  Linking these two substations will effectively tie together all of the substations in that portion of the SRP power system to help ensure reliability.

The Hanger-to-Houston Project consists of about 4.3 miles, with about 1.2 miles underground and the rest – mostly along Ray Road. SRP estimates it will cost about $3 million per mile to bury the line and approximately $300,000 per mile to string the line on poles.

Construction began about two weeks ago along Price Road in Tempe near the Chandler border and SRP hopes to be at Warner Road at the riser pole by the Monday after Thanksgiving. After Thanksgiving, work will move south into Chandler.

SRP’s timetable calls for workers to dig trenches and install conduit along southbound Price Road through the end of the year. In January, workers should begin relocating an SRP irrigation line, installing cable and electrical lines, and restoring sidewalks and landscaping that is being torn up along the way.

Access on southbound Price Road will be restricted during the duration of the construction, while ingress and egress on Ranch Road, La Vieve Lane, Caroline Lane, Seville Boulevard and Park Avenue will be closed for a short duration as crews trench across the roads.

SRP plans to have the new power line ready by next summer.