Utility rep outlines 22-mile Galyon-Roberts 138 line rebuild, says Morrow County sections likely in 2026

A utility representative told the Morrow County Board of Commissioners that a planned rebuild of the Galyon'Roberts 138 transmission line will span about 22 miles and replace aging lattice towers with single steel poles, a project the speaker said will improve reliability and capacity.

The representative said crews will begin work at the end of next month in Marion, and the full rebuild is expected to take roughly 18 months. He said the majority of the existing line was installed in 1948, and the replacement is intended to modernize infrastructure and support additional load in the future; the speaker estimated sections that cross Morrow County likely would not be worked on until 2026.

Why it matters: Rebuilding a high-voltage transmission line can affect construction schedules, local roads and land across multiple townships and county boundaries. The project could interact with other local projects, including solar installations already planned in the area.

Details from the presentation and public exchange: - Project name and scope: The speaker described the work as the Galyon-Roberts 138 line, running from a substation near Marion to the Galyon substation and totaling about 22 miles of rebuild. - Structures and materials: The project will replace older lattice-style towers with single steel pole structures; the speaker said newer poles will be set in concrete foundations. - Schedule: Work will start at the end of next month in Marion; the job is expected to take about 18 months overall. The speaker said sections that run through Morrow County ' including parts that traverse Bloomfield and Washington townships ' probably would be undertaken in 2026. - Reliability and capacity: The speaker said the upgraded line will improve reliability and provide capacity to serve additional load. - Interaction with other projects: Commissioners and the speaker discussed an existing or planned solar project near the line route; the speaker said he believed coordination had occurred but that he would double-check communications between the utility and the solar developer.

The speaker also reported a recent lighting upgrade at Mount Gilead Schools (installation of 130-watt LED fixtures at a school parking/drive area) completed at the superintendent's request and noted there were currently no reported customer outages in the speaker's Ohio service territory at the time of his update.

Direct quote from the presentation: "We are doing a project where we're building a transmission line called our Galyon Roberts 138 line. It goes from a substation in Marion to the Galyon substation... it's over 22 miles of a rebuild... this is gonna be an 18 month project," the speaker said.

Ending: The board thanked the speaker for the update and asked staff to follow up on coordination with the solar project and to monitor timelines as work moves toward Morrow County.