Project overview

Also known as the Jefferson County Reliability Project, this project involved the construction of approximately 17 miles of new 138-kilovolt transmission line connecting the Stony Brook Substation in Waterloo to the Jefferson Substation located outside the city of Jefferson. Upgrades to several area substations and an upgrade to an existing line from the Stony Brook Substation to the Box Elder Substation in Medina were also completed as part of the project.

The population of Jefferson County has grown by 14 percent since 1990 and is projected to continue to grow. This growth translates to a higher demand for electricity. During the past 15 years, there have been no significant improvements made to the transmission system in the area, and electricity supply constraints were projected to worsen if the transmission system was not reinforced to accommodate the electric growth. This project completes an electrical path of medium capacity lines around the county, and improves the ability to ensure continued electric service in the event of an outage on a portion of the network by creating an alternate path for electrical flow.

ATC was required to submit two route alternatives as part of its construction application to the Public Service Commission of Wisconsin. The PSC approved the project July 20, 2006.

At a glance
Communities affected: Towns of Waterloo, Medina, Aztalan, and the City of Lake Mills. All of Jefferson County and eastern Dane County will benefit from a stronger electric transmission system.
Length of line: Approximately 17 miles
End points: Stony Brook Substation in Waterloo and Jefferson Substation outside of Jefferson
Voltage: 138 kilovolts
Status of project: PSC approved project 7/20/06; preconstruction work underway

Schedule
Open house held to present final routes: Summer 2005
ATC filed construction application to PSC: Summer 2005
Decision issued by PSC: July 2006

Pre-construction open house:  November 12, 2008  Click for more information
Anticipated start of construction on transmission line: Winter 2008
In-service date: Oct. 12, 2009
Final project cost: Approximately $30 million