The Red Mountain Electrical Reliability and Broadband Improvement Project
The electrical transmission power line that traverses the beautiful and treacherous Red Mountain Pass along US 550, needs to be re-built in order to continue to serve as backup power source for consumers in the communities of Ridgway and Ouray.
Originally constructed in 1928, the Red Mountain line has been maintained, repaired and upgraded many times, but has reached its functional end-of-life. A new line, engineered with current technologies and design practices will be safer and more practical to maintain in the difficult mountain terrain.
PROJECT UPDATE: SECTION 3a - CITY OF OURAY WORK AND RED MOUNTAIN SUBSTATION TO ALPINE LOOP TURNOFF
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Projected Travel Impacts:
- A section of Oak Street in Ouray. Detours to be announced
- Hwy 550: Tentative traffic holds in early summer and tentative block closures in September, pending permit requirements
Project Status:
- Ordering materials
- Finalizing permitting / design
- Scheduling community outreach
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The project is being conducted in several phases. This construction approach offers a number of benefits:
- It respects the construction period which is limited by weather, terrain and USFS environmental restrictions.
- It spreads the upfront construction cost of the entire project over several years to minimize the impact to SMPA members
- It allows for the extended material lead times that have affected the industry since the global pandemic.
- It allows SMPA to begin capitalizing the cost of the re-build by constructing the flattest section first.
- It minimizes the impacts of temporary traffic stops on the connected communities of Ouray and Silverton.
Project Phase Descriptions
In 2022 and 2023, SMPA worked closely with U.S. Forest Service (USFS) representatives, the Colorado Department of Transportation (CDOT), and stakeholders in neighboring communities, in order to conduct vegetation removal above US Highway 550. This served to mitigate fire risk in the area and it cleared the work zone for re-build operations. Thanks to contractor, VM West, for a job well done.
Phase 2, which is the re-construction of 4.5 miles of 44kV transmission line between the Idarado and Red Mountain electrical substations is completed. All original line / structures in this section were replaced with new, environmentally-tailored structures that are fewer in number. Thanks to PAR Electric and ESC Engineering!
Reconstruction of Red Mountain line from the Red Mountain substation to the Alpine Loop turnoff (South of Ruby Walls) as well as upgrades at the old Ouray substation and nearby structures are scheduled to take place in the summer of 2025.
Reconstruction of Red Mountain line from the Alpine Loop turnoff, North to Ouray, including the Ruby Walls section, are tentatively scheduled to take place in the summer of 2026.
Reconstruction of Red Mountain line section 3, from Idarado substation to Burro Bridge Substation is tentatively scheduled to take place in the summer of 2027.