United Illuminating told CT Examiner that its efforts to move transmission lines off of railroad catenaries on Northeast Corridor in Bridgeport and Fairfield came at the request of the Connecticut Department of Transportation, which wants the rail overhead cleared as it looks at ways to speed up trains. The state’s second-largest electric company is asking for approval for the fifth and final part of a plan to replace the 25-mile transmission line from West Haven to Fairfield. UI manager of transmission projects Shawn Crosbie told CT Examiner that weather in the northeast can wear down metal equipment. And with the existing structures deemed to be at the end of their useful life, the company has received approval from the regional grid operator ISO-New England to replace it. But instead of simply replacing the infrastructure where it has run on top of the New Haven Line for about 60 years, the company is proposing to move the line onto monopoles on private property adjacent to the rail line. The final section proposed on a 7.3-mile stretch from Bridgeport to Southport would require taking 8.6 acres of easements and has drawn vocal opposition from neighbors and elected officials in the region.
New Utility Right of Way in Fairfield and Bridgeport Spurred by CTDOT Plans for Faster Rail Service