MANITOWOC COUNTY, WI (WTAQ-WLUK) — Wisconsin Public Service is wrapping up an eight-year project along northeast and central Wisconsin roads.
On Tuesday, workers installed the final stretch of underground cables. WPS has now installed more than 2,000 miles of underground cables in effort to replace overhead power lines.
“Beginning completion of a massive eight-year project to reduce power outages,” said WPS spokesperson Matt Cullen.
Cullen he says the System Modernization and Reliability Project has improved customer quality by 95% since 2014.
“For our customers, what they are going to see is fewer power outages as a result of different elements that may have normally affected our overhead system, so trees, severe weather events, high winds, things of that nature,” said Cullen.
Which is especially beneficial for rural Wisconsin.
“Particularly where this project has been very successful has been the heavily forested or forest dense portions of our service area,” said Cullen.
Overall, the SMRP project cost WPS approximately $430 million.
“There has been costs that have been accrued by this project and those costs are recovered through the rates that those customers do pay but again this project is all about improving reliability,” said Cullen.
“It’s very gratifying to come to completion of the project,” said Steve Schott, SMRP project manager.
Schott says at the peak, about 300 employees worked on the project.
Schott says WPS starts communicating with customers at least two years before drilling.
Schott says although the major project is done, WPS will work on smaller power line segments over the next few years.
WPS says 955 different power line segments were changed through the service area.
