BPU to rebuild McPherson's oldest 115,000-volt line in steel starting Sept. 1
BPU and contractor Capital Electric Line Builders expect to finish the work by mid-December.
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Become a subscriberMcPherson's oldest stretch of 115,000-volt transmission line — rebuilt in five separate sections after storm damage, most recently in 2023 — will be replaced with steel structures beginning Tuesday, Sept. 1. The McPherson Board of Public Utilities said the work runs between its East McPherson and Johns Manville substations along 17th Avenue, Ironhorse and 16th Avenue. The utility said the high-voltage line carries power to local substations rather than serving homes and businesses directly, and that the steel is stronger and more resilient than the wood structures it replaces.
According to the utility's Aug. 20 announcement, the segment was built in the early 1980s. BPU listed a complete rebuild and upgrade of the line in its 2023 financial report, placing the project in the utility's plans for roughly three years.
An underground equipment failure knocked out power to about 700 McPherson customers on Thursday, Aug. 6.
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