Starting next month, NextEra Energy Transmission Southwest is expected to start clearing trees for a new transmission line project that will connect a substation near Wolf Creek to one in southwest Missouri.
It’s one of the first steps toward construction, which will require upgrades to several rural roads in Allen County.
NextEra project director Nick Fuhr met with county leaders Tuesday to discuss the project, particularly a road agreement currently in development by attorneys representing the county and NextEra.
NextEra will pay for the costs of improving the roads. The county is reresponsible for maintaining them, so commissioners can choose to have county crews do the work or hire a contracting crew. Fuhr confirmed either option is acceptable.
About six bridges or culverts will need to be improved, according to Mark Griffith, Allen County’s road and bridge director.
In most cases, crews will need to remove a concrete box culvert and replace it with pipes that can support heavier loads. There’s nothing wrong with the current culverts, Griffith said, other than the weight of the load they can carry. Those projects shouldn’t take much time away from other duties, Griffith said.
But in one case, the county needs to replace a railcar tank used in place of a box culvert. Griffith explained that old railcar tankers are sometimes used for drainage.
The county likely will need to hire a contractor to replace that culvert.
“That might be above our heads,” Griffith explained about the replacement process.
FUHR gave an update on the project. He was visiting all counties involved in the project; in Kansas, that’s Coffey, Anderson, Allen, Bourbon and Crawford.
Allen County will have about 25 miles of the total 94-mile project, the most of any county. About 220 property owners are affected, with about 58 in Allen County.
The project will construct a 345 kV transmission line that cuts diagonally through Allen County, entering north of Carlyle near 1400th Street and exiting east of Elsmore near the Bourbon State Fishing Lake.
The Kansas Corporation Commission has approved the path, and NextEra is finalizing a process to obtain necessary permits and property rights for the land. About 88% of affected landowners have signed an agreement. NextEra filed condemnation procedures against at least one local landowner and others are under legal review. Fuhr said lawsuits are a last resort.
“They just refused to talk to us,” he said. “We hope to come to an agreement. I want zero condemnation, if at all possible.”
NextEra is finalizing construction bids and plans to start clearing trees in November and continue likely through March. Construction is expected to start in early 2024. Current road conditions can support the equipment needed to clear trees, but the roads will need to be ready for heavier equipment once construction begins in earnest.
