BGE proposes 9-mile underground rebuild from Finksburg to Westminster; construction targeted 2027–2030

Baltimore Gas and Electric told Carroll County commissioners it plans to replace an aging transmission line with a roughly 9-mile underground route running from the Finksburg area to the Westminster substation along Route 140, company staff said. BGE said the project is intended to address reliability and access problems linked to a line built in 1990 and to reduce outages for customers served by the Westminster substation.

The proposal matters because Westminster’s substation is a radial feed — meaning it is not extensively networked into the broader transmission system — so BGE said the new line will increase resilience for homes and businesses served from that facility. The company said it will file a waiver of the Certificate of Public Convenience and Necessity (CPCN) with the Maryland Public Service Commission before seeking local and state permits, then begin construction in early 2027 with an expected finish around mid‑2030.

BGE staff described the technical and access reasons for the work. “The line that is currently installed was constructed in 1990,” said Kyle Edmonds, senior project manager for the Finksburg–Westminster project. Company engineers showed photos of wood‑pole deterioration, woodpecker damage and difficult access near rail lines and streams, and said those conditions make above‑ground maintenance and selective repairs increasingly challenging.

Ben Formisano, senior engineer in BGE’s transmission engineering department, described the company’s plan to install underground transmission cable inside the existing roadway right of way. “It’s about a 9‑mile distance. It will all be within the road right of way,” Formisano said. He told commissioners the alignment follows Route 140 to avoid running across agricultural properties and private parcels.

BGE said next steps include filing the CPCN waiver at the Public Service Commission “at the end of the quarter,” followed by permit applications and coordination with state and local agencies. The company plans continuous public outreach, a project website and community meetings to announce construction activity and timing. Chanel Rhodes Reed, BGE’s external affairs manager for Carroll County, said the company holds quarterly briefings with local officials to share project and program information and to field constituent issues. “BGE’s goal is to increase our footprint, not our carbon footprint,” Reed said when summarizing the company’s community engagement and grant work.

Commissioners asked about traffic and construction impacts on Route 140. BGE engineers said the goal is to limit lane closures by placing duct banks in shoulders or medians where possible, to site manholes for splicing to avoid business or driveway impacts, and to use flaggers and scheduled notices for work that affects travel. The company estimated a 10‑week lead time for some long‑lead materials and said it will post scheduling information on its project website and hold meetings in impacted neighborhoods before work begins.

BGE also reviewed community programs during the presentation: it said about 60,000 of its customers are in Carroll County, noted a small‑business grant of up to $20,000 with a June 13 application deadline, and described a community safety grant program offering $2,500–$10,000 with a May 16 application deadline. Edmonds and Formisano told the board that engineering and procurement work will continue in 2025–2026, with major construction activity planned to begin in 2027 and conclude around mid‑2030.

The company said it will file the CPCN waiver soon and return to update the commissioners as permitting and design advance. Residents and business owners looking for project details were told to watch the BGE project website and sign up for community notices and meetings.