" . . .as part of ongoing efforts to refine and improve the project, a revised design
reduces structure heights from a maximum structure height of 135 feet* to a most
common height of between 85 to 95 feet in the White Mountain National Forest, as
well as elsewhere along the direct current portion of the line that runs from
the Canadian border to Franklin" (Northern Pass press release, June 27, 2013, emphases added).
"Elsewhere" does not include the five crossings of I-93, the major tourist route to the Lakes Region, Franconia Notch, the White Mountain National Forest, and the Great North Woods.
The most common height and the median height of Northern Pass's proposed structures that cross I-93 is 105' with a minimum of 80' and a maximum of 130'. The average height of structures on the I-93 crossings is 112'.
Crossing the most traveled tourist route in New Hampshire, the proposed Northern Pass towers would be at their tallest and cause adverse visual effects on myriad tourists traveling north to escape industrialized landscapes. Acquired between the 1920's - 1940's, the original PSNH easement would never have been sited where it is had I-93 existed.
The Department of Energy has already rejected the PSNH easement for major overhead HVDC projects because of the unacceptably high negative visual, socioeconomic and other impacts in the I-93 corridor. The first rejection was in 1980, the second in 1986. The situation has not improved; indeed, the easement is more crowded with power lines now than it was twenty years ago.
For maps and diagrams of Northern Pass towers proposed for the five crossings, follow the links for each town, south to north, on I-93. These visualizations do not consider towers alongside I-93. Those will come at a later date.
Enter your scoping comment about Northern Pass's visual impact at http://northernpasseis.us/comment/
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*The currently proposed preliminary maximum tower height is 155' (Allenstown).
