Mossman Transmission Line Upgrade

Overview

Evergy is preparing to rebuild the 60-year-old, 2-mile transmission line that connects the Mossman substation, located at Mossman and Chautauqua streets, to the Wichita State University substation, located at 17th and Bluff streets. Upgrading the transmission line is needed to ensure our equipment meets modern standards for reliability and safety.

The project replaces a transmission line from the 1960s that is nearing the end of its service life. The upgrades will enhance electric reliability and support growth in Wichita, as well as strengthen the regional power grid. The new line will be stronger, more efficient and will incorporate technology that can help reduce power outages, both in frequency and length.

We completed a routing study to evaluate numerous potential routes between the two substations. Two overhead routes were viable – one that follows the existing route with some modifications and one that would follow the Red Bud Trail.

We hosted an informational meeting in August 2022 to seek public input about both route options. We also asked affected landowners and community members to share their thoughts in an online survey. Thank you to those who attended the meeting and those who took the time to complete the survey.

The survey did not reveal a route preference from the community. The vote breakdown between the two routes was near even, falling within the statistical margin of error. The survey did reveal that weathered steel poles were largely preferred over galvanized steel poles. Weathered steel poles are brown and galvanized steel poles are silver.

Evergy and the City of Wichita used these results and worked together to choose the route with the least impact to customers, which has been determined to be the Red Bud Trail. An agreement related to the project was approved by Wichita City Council in March 2023.

Design 

Tree trimming and removal will be required for the safe construction and operation of the transmission line

Poles

• Steel poles because of changes in direction
• Trail’s terrain will require larger poles
• Poles will be weathered steel based on the community’s preference
• Steel poles are utilized for additional reliability and resiliency with the harsh weather conditions our communities can face

Timeline

Construction is scheduled to take place in 2025. Property restoration will take place after construction is complete. Duration of restoration is weather dependent and varies by project, but properties will be restored to, near as reasonable, pre-construction condition. An Evergy project representative will communicate with property owners individually to discuss expected timeline and damage, if any, caused by construction.

Communications

Evergy is committed to transparent and timely communications with stakeholders who have an interest in this project, including neighborhood residents. We are early in the planning process and specific details about pole sizes and locations aren’t yet known. As plans for the project are developed, we will share details with residents in the area. Evergy will host an open house in the coming months. An additional open house will be held closer to the time that construction begins.