Duke Energy will use helicopters to string a new transmission line across the Ohio River from Lawrenceburg, Ind., to Petersburg, Ky. The project aims to strengthen the power grid and improve reliability in southeast Indiana.
Spokeswoman Sally Thelen says the work is slated to begin on or about May 1 and last two weeks, depending on the weather. It includes rebuilding a span of high-voltage 345-kilovolt (kV) transmission line from the Tanners Creek Substation in Lawrenceburg to a tower on the other side of the river.
"This kind of work is unique; it's involving a helicopter to bring the line across the river," says Thelen. "We're replacing about 4,700 feet, or 0.9 miles, of our electric line in that area. We're also going to replace one of those large steel transmission towers that you would see on the Boone County side of the shoreline."
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She says some of the lines being replaced have been up for decades and are approaching the end of their useful life.
"We wouldn't want one ... to drop into the river, or on a really bad windy day or a storm, have any issues with it. So by replacing it with more modern types of materials, certainly we're helping it be a little bit better to withstand storms," she says.
Work crews will also be updating equipment on the 200-foot transmission towers. The tower heights — and the river — mean the usual bucket trucks won't cut it. Thelen says it's more effective and safer to use helicopters to carry the lines, and move equipment and people.
Folks can expect to see helicopter activity during daylight hours. The company says those with property near the affected transmission lines were notified about the work by mail this week. If you have an account with Duke, the company says you should be notified by call or text message. Power should not be interrupted during the work.
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"This is more of our grid improvement work to follow up from some of the work we did in '21," Thelen explains.
Duke says part of the Dearborn Trail will be temporarily closed from 7 a.m. to 5 p.m. from May 1-14 while work is underway. The Ohio River will remain open to river traffic.
