Powerline work has closed several trails south of the Village of Oak Creek.
To accommodate construction of Arizona Public Service’s Village of Oak Creek to McGuireville 69-kilovolt powerline, the Kel Fox Trail and Forest Roads 9500A, 9500G and 9500L on the southern end of the Village of Oak Creek are scheduled to be closed through Wednesday, Dec. 31, following the Oct. 9 signing of Order No. 03-04-06-25-04 by Acting Coconino National Forest Supervisor Matthew Lane.
The powerline — costing around $80 million — has been in the works since 2018 and will connect the McGuireville substation to the Village of Oak Creek substation near the intersection of State Route 179 and Jacks Canyon Road.
Starting from the McGuireville substation, the line runs north along Cornville Road buried along Beaverhead Flat Road, then follows Kel Fox Trail above ground with poles and heads
north before turning east. It continues underneath State Route 179 and proceeds north along the roadway until it reaches the VOC substation.
The closure extends from the U.S. Forest Service land adjacent to the southern boundary of the VOC on the west side of State Route 179 to Beaverhead Flat Road. U.S. Forest Service land east of State Route 179 is unaffected. State Route 179, Beaverhead Flat Road and Forest Road 201 will remain “open and unaffected,” the order reads.
“The section of the overhead line adjacent to the Kel Fox Trail will be constructed via helicopter to minimize environmental impacts,” APS spokeswoman Yessica Del Rincon wrote in a recent email. “In addition to vegetation being moved via helicopter to support wildfire mitigation, heavy power poles and other material will be flown into this portion of the project at less than 100 feet away from the Kel Fox Trail. To maintain public safety, [Coconino National Forest] and APS have determined that it’s best that public access in and through the Kel Fox Trail be restricted during these construction activities.”
“Installation of poles and new overhead power lines, including vegetation clearing to support fire mitigation efforts, through the Coconino National Forest along Kel Fox Trail to State Route 179 began Oct. 13,” Del Rincon wrote. “Some of these activities include helicopter use, which also began on Oct. 13.”
The work will take place from 6 a.m. to 5 p.m., Monday through Friday, excluding major holidays — however some weekend work may be needed, depending on road restrictions.
The excavation to bury the powerline along Beaverhead Flat Road started in June and the installation of new overhead lines along Cornville Road started in July and both of those are anticipated to be completed by the end of the year.
“Additional helicopter activities beyond the present closure are not currently anticipated, access and construction needs of future work on Coconino National Forest land beyond the current work area may dictate this need,” Del Rincon wrote.
The majority of resident complaints about the project have centered on the construction of power poles and having the line above ground along the Kel Fox area.
“[APS] found that constructing the line underground would cost as much as 20 times more than building it overhead in some areas of the route,” Del Rincon wrote. “Terrain may differ mile by mile, requiring additional construction needs.”
There are no anticipated interruptions to service with this construction projects and advance notice if there is a need Del Rincon said will be given to customers. The shutdown of the federal government is also not anticipated to delay the project that remains on schedule, according to Del Rincon.
Residents may contact the APS construction 24/7 hotline at (602) 532- 6222 for up-to-date information and to provide feedback. For more information visit aps.com/ocmg.
