TEXARKANA, Ark. (Oct. 25, 2024) – Residents living near Arkansas High School should expect temporary lane closures and intermittent power outages from October 28 – 29 as Southwestern Electric Power Company (SWEPCO) crews place new wires on recently-installed transmission poles. 

The work is part of SWEPCO’s Ashdown - 12th Street Transmission Line Rebuild Project, which began in the spring. The project involves rebuilding approximately 19 miles of transmission line in Miller and Little River counties to improve regional grid reliability.  

Customers living in the area should prepare for temporary outages – generally lasting an hour or less – during daytime hours. Additionally, motorists should expect the northbound lane of Jefferson Avenue between 18th and 24th streets to be closed, and traffic lights at the intersections of 18th & Jefferson and 24th & Jefferson to be out-of-service while work is being performed. 

“We’re proud to see this significant project continue and, when completed, it will bring improvements to our regional grid reliability. We appreciate everyone’s patience during this next phase of the work,” said Lisa Thompson, external affairs manager. “While there will be brief outages during the work, crews will do their best to work as quickly and as safely as possible to help minimize outages times. And, as always, we want to remind our customers, our Texarkana residents, motorists and our crews to keep safety at the forefront. Motorists are urged to use caution and heed signage, cones and flaggers while this work is underway.”  

SWEPCO expects work on the project to be complete by the end of the year. For more information about the project, visit SWEPCO.com/Ashdown-12Street.