The Huron Expositor, 1969-04-24, Page 9Oti
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dro Towers_
Advance Towards
Seoforth ,Substation
SEAFORTH, 'ONTARIO, THURSDAY, APRIL 24, 1969— Second Section, Pages 9 to 16
2
Hydro linemen perch precariously more
than 100 feet in the air as they nurse the
last section- of a 165-foot tower to com-
pletion.
The tower is one of 163 steel towers
that march across Huron and Perth
farms between Seaforth and Stratford.
It is among the last few to be erected ds
the,--Iine approaches the substation 11/4
miles el-stof Seaforth.
The tower line is part 'of an Ontario
Hydro ,$7,500,000 expansion program to
provide improved Hydro service in this
part of Ontario.
Work on the-towers at the Seaforth end ,
will be completed in the " next two or
three weeks according to Hydro officials.
.The next, step in the link-up will be the
erection of a tower line from Kitchener
to Stratford which is scheduled for com-
pletion by the fall of 1969.
Al Hartford, in charge of this phase of
the project, told the Expositor that each
of the standard towers along the li,pe stand
at a height of 1.4,1. feet and weigh five to
six tons. Support towers, which .carry the
bulk of the weight of the line are 165 feet
high and weigh around 40 tons, he said.
He added that 65-men are presently em-
ployed at the site 114 miles east of Sea-
a rth, compared to !MO that were on this
end 'of the project when it got underway
imt
Completion of the $7,500,000 expansion
is slated for 1970, he said.
Ontario Hydro said a few towers are
yet to be erected in the Stratford area
and will be under construction as soon as
rights of way can be arranged.
Land in this area is obtained by ease-
ment. Hydro pays only for the land taken
by the actual tower site and pays a small
amount for the overhang of the wires.
When the towers are completed in the
Stratford area, the Stratford-Seaforth
section will be energized_ 115;000 volts.
When the Kitchener to Stratford line, is.
completed, the entire length of the line
will be energized at 230,000*volts.
Seaforth will become' the operations
centre for this district when the link-up
is' completed. It will direct the Stratford
station by remote control.
The present transformer station 11/4,
miles east of town will undergo major ex-
pansion to accommodate facilities for
switching and this work will get under-
way as soon as area tower construction
is completed.
As well as providing for growth in the
area the new system will provide present
customers with greater security of ser-
vice, trydro officials said.
a rrittr ra e I •y one o die massive'
foot new -Hydro towers, watches as constratti41.1
nears Seaforth. (Staff photos by Raley).
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