As part of the cantonal flood protection project for the River Reuss Valley in the canton of Uri, Atel Transmission Ltd., a subsidiary of Alpiq Holding Ltd., and the Swiss Railways SBB have repositioned a section of their separate high-voltage overhead lines. The flood protection measures directly affected two pylons of the Swiss Railways' 132 kV transmission grid and one pylon of Atel's 220 kV grid in the section between Airolo and Mettlen.
Line section of 1.6 kilometres The overhead lines in the region of the municipalities of Silenen and Gurtnellen are now fed over a distance of 1.6 kilometres on four shared lattice steel pylons. This means that the residential area of Grund in the municipality of Silenen will be significantly relieved of environmental impact and will become more attractive in terms of town and country planning. Commissioning took place on 20 May 2009. The project also demanded that the Swiss Railways replace two additional supporting structures. The next step will be the dismantling of the total of eight pylons that are no longer used and the removal of their foundations. In 2010 the corrosion protection work will be carried out. The total costs for the replacement of the lattice steel pylons will be around 3.5 million Swiss francs.