Century old power lines downed in massive operation

Niagara Power took a big step toward restoring the international power lines between Canada and the United States Saturday.

After years of planning, crews used an innovative approach to downing the old wire that span the river.

They attached devices to the cables and then they were detonated and severed immediately in one instantaneous boom.

The cables fell into the river and were pulled onshore.

When the towers went up almost a century ago they held lines drawing power from the falls.

Until 2006 they provided a secondary power source for the town of Fort Erie.

But the aging towers were deemed unsafe and the power to the lines was cut.

Now that the lines are down safely the towers can be dismantled, which will take about two weeks.

Next year it will take 3 months to rebuild the towers on both sides and will cost around $7 million dollars.

More than 40 agencies on both sides of the border took part in Saturday’s operation.