by North Forty News Staff | NorthFortyNews.com
Fiber installation will temporarily shut trail between Harmony and Prospect roads
Fort Collins trail users will need to plan ahead in early March, as a busy stretch of the Power Trail will close for nearly three weeks to allow critical electric grid upgrades.
Beginning Monday, March 2, and continuing through Thursday, March 19, Platte River Power Authority will close the Power Trail between Harmony and Prospect roads along Timberline Road while contractors install new fiber-optic cable on overhead transmission lines.
According to Platte River, the work involves installing optical ground wire along the top shield wire position of the transmission lines. In addition to improving communication reliability for the regional electric grid, the upgraded cable also strengthens lightning protection for the system serving Northern Colorado communities, including Fort Collins.
For safety reasons, the trail will be fully closed during construction. Crews from Sturgeon Electric Company, Inc. will use bucket trucks and other heavy equipment, and the fiber installation requires work at significant heights. Officials say maintaining a clear work zone is essential to completing the project safely and efficiently.
Project leaders acknowledge the inconvenience for regular Power Trail users but say the work has been scheduled as a single, concentrated effort to reduce the overall length of disruption. Once complete, similar work is not expected again for roughly 20 years.
Flaggers will be stationed where transmission lines cross Horsetooth and Drake roads, although significant traffic impacts are not anticipated. Signs directing trail users to an alternate route will be posted by March 2.
The timeline could shift depending on weather conditions. Updates and a detour map are available at https://prpa.org/transmission/fiber.
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Attribution: Platte River Power Authority