LCRA to ‘storm harden’ Horseshoe Bay, Granite Shoals utility lines
The Ferguson power plant in Horseshoe Bay, which is part of the Lower Colorado River Authority’s transmission network. Power lines in Horseshoe Bay and Granite Shoals are set to be 'storm hardened' in a February-May project. File photo
The reliability and resiliency of transmission lines that travel through Horseshoe Bay and Granite Shoals will be upgraded, or “storm hardened,” by the Lower Colorado River Authority Transmission Services Corp. in a project set to begin in February.
The $11.6 million project will include more than 7.5 miles of high-voltage transmission lines to make them better able to withstand extreme conditions such as wind, ice, and other weather-related issues. Upgraded lines can help minimize outages, restoration times, and restoration costs, the LCRA said.
Large construction equipment, bucket trucks, and cranes will be used in the project, which might occasionally cause traffic delays and stops for brief periods on roads under the lines. Construction should be completed by mid-May.
The project will replace or rebuild more than two dozen structures and the associated conductors on lines that run from the Thomas C. Ferguson Power Plant substation to the Wirtz Dam substation and from the Sherwood Shores substation to the Wirtz Dam substation. The work will help ensure the lines meet infrastructure protection requirements from the Public Utility Commission of Texas.
The LCRA Transmission Services Corp. was created in 2002 as a nonprofit corporation for transmission operations. It has invested more than $3.6 billion in transmission projects to date. For more information, visit lcra.org.