Ameren Missouri began work Monday on the initial portion of a subtransmission station off Route K in Cape Girardeau County.

"This is just one aspect of a much larger initiative," said Paul Mallmann, supervising engineer of Ameren's Southeast Missouri Division.

A new 34,500-volt, 6-mile subtransmission line will connect the new Hitt Substation under construction just west of Cape Girardeau with the existing Cape Clark Substation at the intersection of Clark Avenue and Dunklin Street.

The larger initiative, the Cape Girardeau Electric Reliability Program, is an $80 million plan to strengthen the area's power distribution system.

"It'll have new substations, and from the substations, we have lines that get closer to the communities," Mallmann said.

Workers load auger bits onto a flatbed after drilling out the placements in the ground Monday for a concrete foundation at the site of the new Ameren Missouri substation off Route K in Cape Girardeau County/ (Laura Simon)

The initiative, which began in December with construction of the Heritage Substation, also along Route K, has three main components: expanding the transmission system, installing two major substations and expanding a subtransmission station.

Mallmann likened the larger project to roadway infrastructure: The transmission system is like the interstate, the substations are the offramps and the subtransmission stations are the county roads filtering down to individual communities and subdivisions.

All work is on track so far and expected to be completed by the end of 2016.

Mallmann said there will be construction milestones along the way. For example, the substations are expected to be finished by the end of the summer.

The upgrade was identified as an opportunity for Ameren to strengthen its service to the community, Mallmann said. While the city of Cape Girardeau won't be doing any construction on the project, it has been involved in facilitating the work.

"The city has definitely been a partner," Mallmann said.

While Monday's work started the subtransmission phase of the project with the Hitt Substation, Mallmann said, "the lion's share of subtransmission work will take place in 2016."

Work within the city on the subtransmission project will continue through Nov. 25, then resume in late February, according to a news release from Ameren.

While work is underway this month, the right lane of northbound Mount Auburn Road will be restricted intermittently between Percy Drive and Independence Street. Traffic will be directed, the release said.

A third component of the Cape Girardeau Electric Reliability Program is the construction of a 12 1/2-mile, 345,000-volt transmission line between the Heritage Substation, also on Route K, and the Lutesville Substation near Whitewater.

kwebster@semissourian.com

(573) 388-3646

Pertinent address:

Route K, Cape Girardeau County, MO