BLUE RIDGE, Ga. ― The Tennessee Valley Authority has identified a preferred route for a new transmission line that would provide for growing electrical load and increase power reliability in the Blue Ridge area of Fannin County.

TVA will invest approximately $6.5 million to build 3.63 miles of transmission line to serve Tri-State Electric Membership Corporation’s new Scenic Drive substation. The new line would begin at TVA’s Basin-Toccoa River 161-kilovolt transmission line and extend southwest to the new substation to be located near 2700 Scenic Drive. This preferred route is alternative route number 7 consisting of segment numbers 6, 7, 9, and 11 proposed at an open house held in January 2020. 

The selected route is expected to have the least impact on the area, based on public input from the open house and additional evaluation of other factors, including social, environmental and engineering impacts. A National Environmental Policy Act review is also pending.

The project will require new right of way. TVA will meet with property owners along the proposed right of way to obtain easements for construction, operation and maintenance of the line. Property owners would still own the property and be compensated for the easements at fair market value.

TVA is expected to begin surveys in fall 2020 and start acquiring easements in summer-fall 2021. Construction is scheduled to begin in winter 2021-2022 and be completed in spring 2022. 

A map of the project and additional information are available on the TVA website.

For more information about TVA and its 87-year mission of service to the Tennessee Valley, click here.