BUSHKILL – Some high voltage power line work has closed part of the Delaware River from now through early next week.
High up in the air, crews work to install power lines across the Delaware River. The Susquehanna to Roseland Transmission Line Project work is scheduled from now through Tuesday – causing some closures along the river.
"Because of the danger and the potential danger to visitors and employees and contractors, during that period we're closing the river just for that short time,” said Delaware Water Gap National Recreation Area Park Ranger Kathleen Sandt.
The Delaware River between the Bushkill Access and Smithfield Beach is closed. PPL says these new high voltage lines should make electricity service to its customers more reliable and reduce the amount of power outages in our region – including the Poconos, New Jersey and New York.
One of the new towers sits right in eyesight of park headquarters. These latest upgrades aren’t exactly what some park-goers in the Poconos envisioned.
"Yes because yet again it's destroying the environment that the Poconos were always known for,” said Jennifer Cummings of Bushkill.
Once these power lines are fully connected across the river in New Jersey, work here in the Delaware Water Gap National Recreation Area is done, but park officials say there's still some clean up.
"They'll be restoring some of the areas where there have been access roads put in to get to some of these towers and these construction sites,” said Sandt.
Park rangers say wetlands and other vegetation will also be restored. But for park-goer Jennifer Cummings, she just hopes the peace she finds in this park isn’t taken away.
"I like to hike the park, take my dog for a walk, see the nature. It's so untouched and I'd like to keep it that way,” said Cummings.