End of an era, Rapid City’s 1960′s powerline gets replaced

RAPID CITY, S.D. (KEVN) -The Beetles were on tour, Winston Churchill was laid to rest, and the Saint Louis Arch was constructed all in the 1960′s, and in that same era, the main transmission line providing power to Rapid City was built. Black Hills Energy says it was time to take the regions electric grid from vintage to modern.

Vice President of Operations for Black Hills Energy, Mark Eyre says they recently replaced an eight mile transmission line that ran through the heart of Rapid City.

“It improves reliability so, it’s built with today’s construction standards, and modern material so, we will see improved reliability and strength for the grid.”

A lot has changed in Rapid City in the last 55 years, but the severe weather of western South Dakota has not, and still puts a constant strain on local infrastructure.

“As we continue to see with the extreme weather conditions putting a toll on the electrical systems. So, this rebuild will help us provide safe reliable power,” Eyre said.

Eyre adds that the replacement is not just for reliable power for today, but also for the future growth of Rapid City.

“We see a lot of new residential customers, commercial business coming, and as that continues to grow the demand for electricity increases. This rebuild will allows us to continue to serve customers and anticipate the future growth of the community,” Eyre said.

Eyre notes that improving the power grid is an on going process that the company continues to maintain and update.

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