Ashdown - 12th StreetTransmission Line Rebuild Project

Southwestern Electric Power Company (SWEPCO) representatives plan to improve the electric transmission system in the Texarkana area. Crews plan to begin construction in early 2024 and conclude in late 2024.

The Ashdown - 12th Street Transmission Line Rebuild Project involves upgrading about 19 miles of transmission line to increase electric reliability and strengthen the local power grid. This project requires SWEPCO representatives to file a Certificate of Environmental Compatibility and Public Need (CECPN) with the Arkansas Public Service Commission (APSC).

Late 2023: Crews plan to start pre-construction activities in early December to prepare the right-of-way for construction. This work may include:

• Placing stakes and ribbon within the company’s easement on your property
• Installing temporary gates, fencing and access roads
• Installing culverts for water management

In early 2024, SWEPCO contract crews plan to trim or remove trees and other woody-stemmed vegetation, as appropriate, within the transmission line right-of-way, which extends 50 feet from the center of the power line on each side. Crews also plan to identify trees that are dead or dying just outside the right-of-way, and crews will contact landowners about necessary steps if trees are deemed hazardous to the line. This maintenance helps ensure the safe operation and reliability of the power line. Please visit aeptransmission.com/property/forestry.php to learn more about SWEPCO’s transmission line vegetation management program.

SWEPCO representatives expect transmission line construction to begin in spring 2024 and conclude in early 2025.

Spring 2023: SWEPCO representatives plan to conduct boundary survey activities along the line, starting in late May and concluding in late June. Some of the survey work may require crews to place stakes and ribbon on your property.

As the project has developed, SWEPCO representatives have shifted the construction schedule. SWEPCO representatives expect to start pre-construction activities in late 2023, with transmission line construction following shortly thereafter in early 2024. Crews plan to finish construction activities in late 2024.

Early 2023: On Jan. 17, 2023, SWEPCO representatives filed an application for a Certificate of Environmental Compatibility and Public Need (CECPN) with the Arkansas Public Service Commission (APSC). Landowners are invited to monitor the proceedings here and participate as they see fit, but all interventions or limited applications must be filed within 30 days of the CECPN filing, unless good cause is shown pursuant to Arkansas Code Ann. §23-18-517. Volkert, Inc., serves as SWEPCO's right-of-way representative for this project. Volkert agents plan to contact affected landowners to discuss field activities, easement acquisition and construction.

Late Fall 2022: SWEPCO representatives hosted an in-person open house in Texarkana at North Heights Community School on Nov. 15 for affected members of the public to learn more about the project from project team members. Volkert, Inc., serves as SWEPCO's right-of-way representative for this project. Volkert agents plan to contact affected landowners to discuss field activities, easement acquisition and construction. As of November 2022, SWEPCO representatives expect transmission line construction to start in fall 2023 and finish in late 2024.