Entergy Louisiana finishes work on Mississippi River transmission crossing

Entergy Louisiana recently finished work on the Mississippi River transmission crossing from Avondale to Harahan.

The transmission crossing is part of the company’s commitment to increasing reliability and building resilience into the electric system. The rebuilt 230kV power line segment was upgraded to withstand winds of up to 175 mph. The work included the construction of a large tower on both sides of the river, with each tower standing around 475 feet and weighing approximately 658,000 pounds.

“The completion of the Avondale to Harahan Mississippi River crossing is another example of how we’re continuing to upgrade the electric system through strategies aimed at increasing service reliability and shortening the amount of time it takes to restore power following major storms,” Phillip May, Entergy Louisiana president and CEO, said.

Work on the project began in September 2021. After tower and foundation designs were finalized, crews demolished a tower on the Harahan side of the river and began pile-driving work. In March, crews installed the concrete pile cap foundations on the Avondale side and pile-driving on the Harahan side. After crews completed foundation work, they started building the towers. Finally, the wires were strung across the river and the powerline was put into service on Aug. 17.

The Avondale to Harahan transmission line is one of eight transmission lines serving the metro New Orleans area.

Entergy Louisiana provides electric service to more than 1 million customers in 58 parishes and natural gas service to more than 94,000 customers in Baton Rouge, Louisiana.