The northbound lanes of the Interstate 190 near the Peace Bridge will be closed on Sunday morning for the installation of new cross-border power lines.
The closures are slated to take place from six to 11 a.m. while equipment is parked on the roadway. The southbound lanes will be closed intermittently.
A century-old set of towers and power lines was removed last year as part of an update on a long-term power-sharing agreement between the U.S. and Canada.
"This project has been ongoing for a number of years and the purpose is to continue to provide safe and reliable 115 kb connection for the Ontatrio CNPI transmission system in Canada to National Grid's transmission system in New York,” said Kristine Carmichael, Human Resources and Customer Service Manager for Canadian Niagara Power. “There's great strategic value to have this international transmission corridor now and in the future."
The former electrical towers were replaced with three towering poles on each side of the Niagara River in Fort Erie, Canada and Buffalo’s West Side. The installation of the wires was scheduled to take place on Saturday morning, but was postponed due to concerns over weather.
"What we were planning to do [Sunday] which has been delayed just till tomorrow is a helicopter is going to fly ropes – five ropes – from the Canadian to the U.S. side and then what we'll do is the conductor will be attached to those ropes, and we'll pull the conductor across," explained Carmichael.
Canada's Niagara Parkway may also see some shutdowns during the installation.
