PG&E’s 17 lattice steel towers that support transmission lines slicing through the City of Manteca are targeted for replacement.

It is part of a PG&E endeavor to improve regional electric service reliability and comply with a California Public Utilities Commission requirement that new transmission lines be at least 10 higher feet from the ground than existing towers to reduce electric and magnet fields at the ground level.

The project will also include measures to reduce public exposure to electric and magnet fields.

The current transmission towers were installed in the early part of the last century.

They are being replaced by 17 tubular steel poles.

The current lattice towers range from 66 to 112 feet. The replacement poles will be between 86 and 111 feet.

The project includes replacing 2.4 miles of the Ripon-Manteca 115 Kilovolt (kV) power line that will share the new tubular poles with the Stanislaus-Manteca 115kV power line.

Work could start this fall with completion targeted for the summer of 2027.

The project begins in an orchard approximately 100 feet southwest of the intersection of Austin Road and Jeane Road to the east of Manteca.

From there, the project alignment runs southwest through residential neighborhoods to the Manteca Substation in the 200 block of Elm Avenue.

The utility corridor crosses Highway 99 south of the Cottage Avenue Overpass and passes through Button Estates Park, Sierra Creek Park, Springport Park, and Crivello Park.

Truck-mounted augers, bucket trucks, cranes, and reel trucks will be used for construction. Vehicles will use existing access roads.

To contact Dennis Wyatt, email dwyatt@mantecabulletin.com