Roanoke Times
Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: MONDAY, June 5, 1995 TAG: 9506050047
SECTION: VIRGINIA PAGE: C-1 EDITION: METRO
SOURCE: DAN CASEY STAFF WRITER
DATELINE: LENGTH: Medium
Appalachian Power Co. is studying potential routes for an additional large power line from the Catawba area to Roanoke, an action that may ultimately bring a new crop of seven-story-tall steel poles through the city's western end or along Salem's edge.
In recent weeks, Apco has informed officials in Roanoke, Roanoke County and Salem of the proposed line, which Apco says is needed to meet growing industrial and residential power demands.
Although specific routes have yet to be identified, the new power corridor would probably follow one of two broad alternatives, said Ron Poff, Apco transmission manager.
One alternative is to generally track existing transmission lines along Virginia 419 from Loch Haven Road to Apperson Drive and the utility's Hancock substation.
The other would be to erect a new line in the area of Peters Creek Road and its new extension that is scheduled to open in 1997. It would run to another substation adjacent to Roanoke Electric Steel off Shenandoah Avenue. The second alternative would be shorter.
"We're in a very embryonic stage of this project," Poff said. "We really don't have any conclusions drawn at all."
The 138-kilovolt line would stretch at least five miles and cost a minimum of $2 million, Poff estimated. Steel poles, similar to ones erected along Read Mountain last year, would average 70 to 75 feet in height and could approach 100 feet in certain locations.
A 138-kv line is the third largest the utility company uses in the Roanoke Valley. Two of the lines already reach the Hancock substation from another Apco power station on Starkey Road.
In scale and amount of power carried, the 138-kv line is far smaller than a 765-kv transmission line Apco wants to construct from West Virginia to Cloverdale.
That proposal, which includes steel towers averaging 150 feet in height, has generated opposition in both states.
Apco intends to conduct a public hearing on potential corridors for the 138-kv line this year after consultants finish studying and rating possible pathways. Construction is at least a year off, Poff said.
The utility has hired Hayes, Seay, Mattern & Mattern to judge the feasibility of different corridors for the lines.
"We're trying to find the most environmentally acceptable route possible," said Victoria Ratcliff, spokeswoman for Apco's Roanoke region. "The object is the least impact on the most number of people."
Apco met with officials in Roanoke two weeks ago. The company also met with employees in Salem's electric department and has requested a meeting with Roanoke County administrators.
John Marlles, director of community planning in Roanoke, said the city has offered to help organize an as-yet unscheduled public workshop about the line.
Marlles said he hopes the line stays away from Peters Creek Road and its four-lane extension, which snakes behind a number of existing neighborhoods.
"We haven't really studied either option in any detail," he said. "But just from past experience, it makes sense to try to follow existing [power lines] whenever possible."
A recent expansion at Yokohama Tire Corp. in Salem and more business at Roanoke Electric Steel have boosted demand for electricity. Forecasts predict that, in the future, the valley's homes and businesses will need even more power.
"We're no different from any other infrastructure," Poff said. "It's imperative that we stay in front of demand. The consequences of not providing adequate service can be disastrous."
by CNB