Segment 5 - Lake Wallenpaupack
to Bushkill
(29.1 miles) -- From a point near the northern tip of Lake Wallenpaupack, in Pike County near Hawley, to the Delaware River in Monroe County near Bushkill.

In this segment, the new line will replace the power line that already exists. The existing 230-kilovolt structures will be removed, and new structures will be built to carry the 230-kilovolt line and the new 500-kilovolt Susquehanna-Roseland line. A major portion of the power line to be removed is one of the oldest 230-kilovolt lines east of the Mississippi, built in the 1920s. Even without construction of the Susquehanna-Roseland line, this old power line would have had to be replaced within a few years.

The existing line in this segment has a cleared right of way of 100 feet or more. The new power line will require 200 feet of cleared right of way in most cases, although there will be areas where this right of way does not have to be that wide, depending on terrain and other factors.

The rebuilt line will parallel an existing 69-kilovolt power line for 10.6 miles from Kimble’s Road in Palmyra Township to near High Knob in Blooming Grove Township. Where two power lines run parallel, the combined cleared right of way will be greater than 200 feet.

During construction, vegetation on the right of way will be cleared as needed for construction work, and to provide enough clearance for the line. After the line is built, low-growing vegetation will be allowed to return, but tall trees and other species that could interfere with t he line will not be permitted to grow.

This segment passes through the Saw Creek Estates residential community. PPL Electric Utilities has been working closely with the residents and leadership of Saw Creek Estates to minimize the impact of replacing the aging power line structures there with new structures. This includes designing the line within a 150-foot cleared right of way wherever possible. That’s the width of the cleared right of way in most locations in Saw Creek now, so in those areas tree clearing will be kept to an absolute minimum.

This segment also passes through about 1.65 miles of the Delaware Water Gap National Recreation Area on the path of an existing power line. PPL Electric Utilities has been working closely with officials of the national recreation area and the National Park Service to minimize the impact of replacing the aging power line structures there with new structures.