A portion of the transmission line, a 46-mile piece that passes from the southern border of Box Elder County till Salt Lake City, created little debate as it will be constructed through an existing Rocky Mountain Power right of way that includes three other major lines.
However the remaining portion that passes from southern Box Elder County till the Utah-Idaho border is surrounded by controversies between the power firm, landowners and public officials who were upset about the chosen route. One community in Box Elder County, Willard, must still provide the firm with final authorization to construct within its boundaries.
The initial phases of construction will cover construction of access roads and excavation for the concrete foundations that will provide support for the transmission line towers.
The project’s preliminary construction work commenced in February 2009 at Downey and Salt Lake City, the end points of the transmission line.
The transmission line is part of a $6 billion project of 2,000 miles of new transmission lines that PacifiCorp, the Oregon-based utility that operates as Rocky Mountain Power and Pacific Power, seeks to finish in Idaho, Utah, Wyoming and probably Colorado by 2014.
