The customized and supersized goalposts made by Valmont, a leading manufacturer of utility structures, carry 69-kilovolt transmission lines across the highway.

(Story by Stephen Ostrander)

They are being called the pieces de resistance. Two transmission structures shaped like football goalposts now adorn the roadsides of I-77 in Canton, Ohio, to remind travelers they are moments from the Pro Football Hall of Fame, the city’s main attraction undergoing a $476 million expansion and renovation.

The customized and supersized goalposts made by Valmont, a leading manufacturer of utility structures, carry 69-kilovolt transmission lines across the highway. The whimsical structures were erected by New River Electrical Corp, the principal contractor on this project for AEP Transmission, in June.

Fail-safe system

AEP Transmission and AEP Distribution are working together to relocate power lines in what will be the Hall of Fame Village, comprising the renovated museum, new Tom Benson Hall of Fame Stadium (seating for 23,000 fans), sports and entertainment complex, hotel and conference center, 3,000-seat indoor football field (Performance Center for Excellence), assisted living facility, youth sports complex, retail stores and restaurants. Half a dozen other utilities have to relocate facilities for village construction. The goal is to open a major portion of the village for the National Football League’s centennial season of 2019.

Newly-designed overhead power lines streaming electricity to the complex from three substations will ensure reliable service in case of a power interruption. A new underground Distribution power loop will add another layer of security to the area grid. Building redundancy for reliable service makes sense, given the potential economic benefits of the destination — $15.3 billion net economic output and thousands of jobs over 25 years. The Hall of Fame will pick up the costs for most of these improvements.

“We are pleased that we could install these unique, eye-catching goalposts as part of the expansion and remake of the Pro Footbal l Hall of Fame,” said Bethany McCrea, project manager, AEP Transmission. “This has been an extraordinary project because it has led to great collaboration with AEP Distribution, External Affairs, Customer Services, Public Outreach, Forestry, Supply Chain and others. Our teamwork has benefitted the project significantly and makes us feel we have contributed to the success of the Hall of Fame. We also worked with numerous city departments to get the easement supplements for relocating facilities and hasten construction. I am very proud of what our team has accomplished.”

A ceremony for 2016 Hall of Fame inductees occurs August 6.

Why Canton?

On September 17, 1920, a group of men gathered in downtown Canton, Ohio, at the Hupmobile showroom of Ralph Hay, owner of the hometown Bulldogs. The result of that historic meeting was the birth of the National Football League; one of the reasons why the Pro Football Hall of Fame calls Canton its home.