Power Transmission Line Removal in Westwoods

Over the coming months, expect some trail disruption and expect to see heavy equipment at the following entrances to Westwoods: Granite Road, Moose Hill Road, Dunk Rock Road and Three Mile Course.

All who enjoy the trails through Westwoods and Hoadley Creek know of many that cross under the electric lines that link Guilford to the New Haven power stations.  Viewed by most as an unwanted technological intruder in a natural refuge, these distribution lines predate the trails by almost 40 years. 

The lines were constructed in the early 1930’s to feed a substation on Meadow Street with the electricity needed for a growing town. The line then followed a direct path across western Guilford, crossing through the many granite ridges and swampy lowlands that isolated Guilford from Branford and New Haven.

For many years, this was the principal source of electricity to Guilford.  But now this electricity can be provided by the wires along the roadways, and there is no need for Eversource to use this isolated and difficult to maintain corridor.

Starting late this fall, Eversource will be removing all the wires, poles and hardware from the Branford boundary to the substation on Meadow Street. This is a major operation, with access required for the large equipment needed to drop and haul out the poles and wire. Eversource has been preparing for this work since 2018, when botanists and soil scientists were engaged to survey the right-of-way to mark areas where endangered plants need protection from construction equipment. 

Where pole access requires wetland crossing, planking will be laid across the area to minimize soil compaction. The work will begin through Red Hill Road in Branford, then move east using Granite Road, Moose Hill Road, Dunk Rock Road and Three Mile Course as access entries. Once removed, these long woodland clearings will gradually revert to woodlands. We encourage you to watch this metamorphosis, perhaps by taking an annual photograph from a favorite vantage point. It’s truly remarkable how quickly a young forest will return.