PSO begins Bartlesville transmission line work this week

Bartlesville Examiner-Enterprise
Updated ·2 min read
Southeast Bartlesville Substation
Southeast Bartlesville Substation

Public Service Company of Oklahoma announced today the start of construction on the Southeast Bartlesville Transmission Improvements Project.

The estimated $13 million investment improves the safety and reliability of the local transmission system and includes rebuilding about 5 miles of 138-kilovolt electric transmission line between PSO’s Bartlesville Comanche Substation off Southeast Frank Phillips Boulevard and PSO’s Bartlesville Substation off Highway 60 in southeast Bartlesville.

Crews began pre-construction activities in late June and expect to start transmission line construction later this week.

“The existing transmission line is 60 years old and needs to be rebuilt,” said Michael Gordon, PSO External Affairs manager. “This project represents PSO’s ongoing investment in upgrading Bartlesville’s electric transmission system.”

These electrical improvements are essential to strengthening the local power grid against severe weather impacts. Given the recent storm wind damage across northeastern Oklahoma, Gordon said this project will benefit Bartlesville for years to come.

“Replacing the existing wooden poles with modern steel poles strengthens the line’s ability to withstand strong winds and reduces the chance of wide community-sustained outages when the weather gets rough,” Gordon said.

Pre-construction activities included drilling pole foundations and pouring concrete. During construction, contractors plan to use heavy equipment and existing roads or lanes, whenever possible, to access the power line route.

Contractors will use traffic control signage and flaggers along Washington Boulevard and Nowata Road. Where possible, lane closures will occur in specific pockets while power poles are replaced. These lane closures are expected to be intermittent throughout construction.

Crews plan to begin work near the Bartlesville Comanche Substation and then move to the Bartlesville Southeast Substation area. From there, crews plan to work westward along Nowata Road and eventually turn north along Washington Boulevard. PSO representatives expect this project to finish later this year.

For additional project details, visit PSOklahoma.com/SEBartlesville.

This article originally appeared on Bartlesville Examiner-Enterprise: PSO begins Bartlesville transmission line work this week