Greenway advocacy group to hold rally Nov. 25

A horse trail is shown on the Marjorie Harris Carr Cross Florida Greenway Ross Prairie Trail, which is part of the Florida Trail, off State Road 200 west of Ocala, Fla. on Feb. 1, 2022. [Bruce Ackerman/Ocala Gazette] 2022.

Potential corridors are being evaluated for a new transmission line between the Ross Prairie and Shaw substations as one of more than a dozen grid improvement projects Duke Energy is undertaking across Marion, Levy and Alachua counties.

According to the project website, the project in Marion County, including on the Cross Florida Greenway, will construct a new, approximately 19-mile, 230-kilovolt transmission line from the existing Ross Prairie Substation to the Shaw Substation and upgrade the existing substations. The lines will be built above ground using steel and concrete poles, typically from 90 to 110 feet tall, but some could go up to 140 feet. New easements will be required.

A newly formed group, the Greenway Guardians, plan to hold a Stop Duke, Save the Greenway Rally beginning at 10 a.m. Saturday, Nov. 25, at the Southwest 49^th Avenue and Landbridge Trailheads.

According to rally director Ryan Wilkerson, the group will be “passing out flyers to inform the public of Duke’s threat to the Greenway. Comment forms will be available to fill out. The rally will be held on the Landbridge, over I-75, 1 mile from the Landbridge Trailhead, and 2.2 miles from the 49th Avenue Trailhead, via paved trail. Come by bike, foot, or hoof, and join us for a photograph opportunity at the historic Landbridge, in show of support for the continued preservation of our beautiful Greenway.”

Reach Wilkerson at (352) 455-2393 or rymwilkerson@gmail.com
The project website is duke-energy.com/our-company/about-us/electric-transmission-projects/ross-prairie-to-shaw