Discussions between Tucson Electric Power Co., the City of Tucson and other stakeholders over the planned overhead installation of the Kino to DeMoss-Petrie 138-kilovolt Transmission Line project will continue into the new year.
After ongoing controversy swirled around the proposal, TEP requested a 90-day continuance to a planned September 13th hearing before the Arizona Power Plant and Transmission Line Siting Committee. Scheduling conflicts caused the continuance to extend to February.
TEP wants to install the overhead line to connect a substation near 36th Street and Kino Parkway to another substation at I-10 and Grant Road. Some towers along the route would be up to 110 feet tall.
The City of Tucson and residents of some neighborhoods along the planned route oppose the plan, as the route runs along, and in some cases through, historic neighborhoods. The City says local ordinances prohibit running overhead lines through designated “gateway corridors,” such as the planned section along Campbell Avenue.
Opponents want TEP to bury the transmission line. TEP has estimated installing six miles of the total seven-mile line underground would be prohibitively expensive, costing between $55M and $63M.
TEP, Tucson officials, neighborhood representatives and other stakeholders will use the time until the new hearing date to discuss other routes and possible alternative ways of paying to install segments of the line underground. (Source)
