Rhinelander Loop reinforcement

This line improves the Rhinelander Loop (the electric transmission lines that serve Antigo, Merrill, Tomahawk, Eagle River, Three Lakes, Minocqua and Rhinelander) and was approved for construction by the Public Service Commission of Wisconsin in November 2003. View Document (54k pdf). The Skanawan-Hwy. 8 project involved replacing a single-circuit, 16.3 mile, 115-kilovolt line between the Skanawan Switching Station five miles southeast of Tomahawk and the Highway 8 Substation in Rhinelander with a double-circuilt 115-kV line. The right-of-way has been reconfigured and new easements were negotiated. The earlier, single-circuit line was on wood poles in a 100-foot-wide easement corridor. The new, double-circuit line is strung on single steel poles and required an 80-foot easement.

The Rhinelander area has experienced significant population growth in recent years and has been vulnerable to conditions that could lead to a loss of electric service and outages. This transmission line, as well as others either planned or proposed (such as the Cranberry-Conover Project), will strengthen the reliability of the electric system in Lincoln, Oneida and Vilas counties.

At a glance
Communities affected: Antigo, Merrill, Tomahawk, Eagle River, Three Lakes, Minocqua and Rhinelander.
Length of line: Approximately 16.3 miles mainly on an existing (reconfigured) right-of-way
End points: Skanawan Switching Station near Tomahawk and Hwy. 8 Substation in Rhinelander.
Voltage: 115 kilovolts
Type of structure: Single steel poles replace existing wood poles
Status of project: Complete and in service in June 2005. Read the news release.

Project contact:, e-mail Lee Meyerhofer or call 1-866-899-3204, ext. 6572.