ST9302-CS 940906PRESS RELEASE
On October 3, 1994, the City of Coppell will hold itsfifth public meeting concerning Sandy Lake
Road from MacArthur Blvd. to Denton Tap Road. This public meeting will provide information
on the relocation of the existing Texas Utility transmission poles along Sandy Lake Road.
Landscape exhibits are being prepared and will be available for review at City offices, 255
Parkway Blvd. beginning September 12th, 1994.
Basic information surrounding the location of the TU Electric transmission poles is as follows:
In the 1940's, Brazos Electric acquired easement rights to have transmission lines along the
Sandy Lake Road corridor. TU Electric has since purchased this section of transmission lines
from Brazos Electric, along with the easement rights. The City of Coppell is currently in the
process of designing roadway improvements to Sandy Lake Road to widen it to a four lane
divided boulevard. To accommodate the expansion from two to four lanes the transmission lines
on the south side of the roadway will need to be relocated. TU Electric's timetable to upgrade
their transmission lines corresponds with the timetable for the expansion of Sandy Lake Road.
TU Electric will be increasing its voltage from 69kV to 138kV when the system is relocated.
The City is establishing a Hot Line to receive citizen input on this issue.
is 304-0955 and it should be activated by September 9, 1994.
The Hot Line number
Several options for the transmission lines have been discussed:
Option 1
Relocate the existing lines further south. This would necessitate the City acquiring additional
easement rights along the south side of Sandy Lake Road. There would be a cost to the City
of relocating the transmission lines, in addition to the cost for the acquisition of the additional
right-of-way.
Option 2
Relocate the existing lines to the median of the proposed Sandy Lake Road. TU Electric has
offered this at no cost to the City because they would be able to maintain the lines from either
side without the interference of houses, fences, trees, etc. In addition to relocating to the
median at no cost to the City, TU Electric would release the rights to their existing easement
along the south side of Sandy Lake Road and would commit to have no north/south aerial
crossings over Sandy Lake Road.
Option 3
Install the transmission lines underground. The cost to install the transmission lines underground
would be paid by the City and it has been estimated at about $4,500,000 (to install both the
transmission and distribution lines underground is about $7,500,000). TU Electric will be
providing a credit on the cost equal to what it will cost TU Electric to install the transmission
lines in the median. That credit is already calculated in the aforementioned costs. This option
offers the most aesthetically pleasing relocation of the TU Electric transmission lines. However,
at each end of the underground section there would need to be a mini-substation constructed to
transition the lines from overhead to underground.
Option 4
Obtain an alternate corridor for the relocation of the TU Electric lines. The lines basically go
from the intersection of Thweatt Road with Coppell Road to the west side of 1-35 in Carrollton
between Frankfort and Trinity Mills (about 25,000 feet). Because TU Electric requires about
a 20 foot clear zone on each side of the poles, the cost of the perpetual easement to take a
different route would be about $2,000,000. This number does not include costs for damages to
any land on which the transmission lines would be located.
This is a very complicated issue that offers several options to explore. Three of the options have
a price tag associated with them which could affect the total cost of the Sandy Lake Road project
and possibly the overall tax rate of the City. Utilizing one of the three options could also cause
the construction of other projects to be delayed. The fourth option, while it does not have a
price tag associated with it, could create a negative aesthetic corridor along Sandy Lake Road.
Again, there will be a public meeting to discuss the relocation of the Texas Utilities transmission
lines on October 3, 1994 at Town Center, 255 Parkway Blvd., (6:30 p.m.viewing of exhibits
and 7:00 p.m. for presentation). Also, watch Paragon cable Channel 19 during the week of
September 19th for additional information on this issue.
To provide your input on this issue you can call the Hot Line at 304-0955 or contact Ken
Griffin, P.E., Assistant City Manager/City Engineer at 393-1016 and/or attend the public
meeting.
The City With A Beautiful Future
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Coppell, Texas 75019
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