Hoosier State Today

In an effort to keep residents informed, we are sharing a press release from Duke Energy regarding their next phases of the Bloomington Rogers Street – 11th Street – Dunn Street Reliability Project. Construction will include new power transmission lines to provide clean and reliable energy for the Bloomington community. 

Improvements of this type are necessary to meet the needs of Bloomington residents as well as to make energy delivery in Bloomington more clean and resilient. Duke has been communicative with the City about this project and committed statewide in efforts to achieve its goals of net-zero methane emissions from its natural gas business by 2030 and net-zero carbon emissions from electricity generation by 2050. These goals complement the City’s own goals from the Climate Action Plan of reducing greenhouse gas emissions by 25% (below 2018 emissions levels) by 2030 and achieving carbon neutrality by 2050.

Read more about the City of Bloomington Climate Action Plan at https://bton.in/d!xR8. 

Duke Energy will soon begin phases two and three of the Bloomington Rogers Street – 11th Street – Dunn Street Reliability Project, which aims to enhance the company’s ability to provide safe and reliable energy to homes, businesses and other community facilities in the Bloomington area.

Crews will begin constructing approximately 2 miles of new power transmission line between the Rogers Street Substation at 1604 South Rogers Street and the 11th Street Substation at the corner of West 11th and North Rogers streets. Crews will then begin constructing approximately 1 mile of new transmission line from the Dunn Street Substation, at the corner of Dunn Street and East 13th Street, to an existing transmission line at the corner of North Jackson Street and West 17th Street.

Preconstruction activities, such as survey and staking the project area and performing vegetation management, will begin this month. Qualified tree personnel are inspecting and clearing vegetation along the route. These practices are approved by internationally recognized tree care associations. The easement must be clear of vegetation to allow for safe access during construction and safe operation of the line once energized.

Impacted property owners have been notified by mail and Duke Energy has attempted door-to-door contacts as well. A large part of the tree trimming and removal work will be conducted in city right-of-way, and Duke Energy has been working in partnership with local officials on work that will take place on municipal property.

At times while work is underway, a lane of traffic or pedestrian path may be temporarily closed for crews to safely perform the work.

“This important work is part of a smart, multilayered energy grid improvement strategy to help improve electric reliability and resiliency and strengthen the electric grid against severe weather and other impacts,” said Duke Energy Government and Community Relations Manager Liz Irwin. “We remain committed to engaging with local residents and elected officials and keeping them informed about this project as we work to support the growth and development underway in Bloomington. Making the right investments today means that the energy grid customers and their families depend on will be better, more reliable, and more responsive in the future.”

The Bloomington Rogers Street – 11th Street – Dunn Street Reliability Project began in 2016 with an informational open house about construction of the 11th Street Substation.

In 2017, Duke Energy hosted another informational open house and public comment period to gather vital input used in evaluating and selecting transmission line routes for the new transmission lines that are part of this project. Construction is taking place in three phases. Phase 1, which involved building the new 11th Street Substation and transmission line along North Rogers Street, is complete. Phases 2 and 3 will begin this year and continue through early 2024.

Residents who have questions about the Duke Energy project can visit duke-energy.com/Rogers-Dunn-Line, email midwesttransmission@duke-energy.com, or call 800-820-9362. The full release is available at: https://bton.in/34tOn

Original source can be found here.