The project will increase the reliability and safety of the structures and conductor by ensuring the transmission lines meet or exceed current National Electrical Safety Code and LCRA TSC design standards.
The lines being worked on go from near Mansfield Dam off Ranch Road 620 eastward crossing Highway 183 and Mopac in north Austin to the Walnut Creek Metropolitan Park area. Work will also occur on a section of the lines just west of Spicewood Springs Road, traveling adjacent to the road northward about 1.3 miles to Old Lampasas Trail.
By LOWER COLORADO RIVER AUTHORITY
LCRA Transmission Services Corporation is performing storm hardening on high-voltage transmission lines in the Steiner Ranch/Mansfield Dam area to make the lines better able to withstand extreme conditions such as wind, ice and other weather-related issues. The work is being conducted along the entire length of the 14.2-mile line from Mansfield Dam to the Walnut Creek Metropolitan Park area in north Austin, and on portions of adjoining lines.
Construction on the $43 million project started in late July 2023 and will help reduce outages and minimize restoration times and costs. The project will increase the reliability and safety of the structures and conductor by ensuring the transmission lines meet or exceed current National Electrical Safety Code and LCRA TSC design standards.
The lines being worked on go east from near Mansfield Dam, crossing State Highway 183 and MoPac in north Austin to the Walnut Creek Metropolitan Park area. Work also will be done on a section of the lines just west of Spicewood Springs Road, north about 1.3 miles to Old Lampasas Trail.
To minimize disruptions on busy thoroughfares in the Four Points area, work is being performed overnight on a portion of the transmission line from that runs east of Mansfield Dam to west of FM 2222. The overnight work began Tuesday, Sept. 26, and is scheduled to be completed on Monday, Oct. 16. This segment of the line runs alongside RR 620 at various points and crosses RR 620 at Steiner Ranch Boulevard.
Crews are using nighttime lighting and large equipment and vehicles during the overnight work, which goes from 7 p.m. to 5:30 a.m. Traffic controls are in place as needed.
Construction on the Marshall Ford-McNeil Transmission Line Storm Hardening Project began in late July 2023 on the western side of the project and is expected to be completed in May 2024. Large construction equipment, bucket trucks and cranes are being used in the project, and traffic may occasionally be stopped for brief periods on roads under the lines as the work progresses. Additional night work may occur on portions of the line farther east as the project progresses.
The Lower Colorado River Authority serves customers and communities throughout Texas by managing the lower Colorado River; generating and transmitting electric power; and providing a clean and reliable water supply.
In 2002, LCRA created LCRA Transmission Services Corporation as a nonprofit corporation for transmission operations. LCRA TSC has invested more than $4.3 billion in transmission projects to meet the growing demand for electricity, improve reliability, connect new generating capacity, address congestion problems that affect the competitive market and help move renewable energy to the market. LCRA TSC plans to invest more than $3 billion over the next five years to build new transmission facilities and improve existing ones.