Jersey Central Power & Light has started construction on the final segment of a new 11.5-mile transmission line project designed to enhance service reliability and help meet the growing demand for electricity in Mercer, Middlesex and Monmouth counties. The overall cost of the project is $48 million, with $18.8 million expected to be spent this year.
The current construction involves building an eight-mile section of a 115-kilovolt transmission line between an existing JCP&L substation in Hightstown and a transmission structure located along State Highway 33 near Manalapan. The line will run within or adjacent to existing corridors, roadways and railroad rights-of-way. The previous part of the project was completed in 2013 and involved replacing or rebuilding transmission structures along three miles of existing right-of-way from a substation in Manalapan to Millstone.
The project is expected to be in service by June 2016 and will help enhance service to nearly 34,000 customers in East Windsor, Englishtown, Hightstown, Manalapan, Millstone and Monroe.
"This transmission project is an important part of our continuing efforts to enhance reliability and help make our system more robust," said Jim Fakult, president of JCP&L. "Projects like this help make our system more resilient and help reduce the number and duration of outages our customers might experience."
The project is part of JCP&L's multi-year, $250 million "Energizing the Future" transmission system reliability enhancement program.