ASHLAND, KY – Beginning Tuesday, Dec. 6, 2005, AEP line crews will be upgrading transmission power lines on a 1.5 mile stretch of its system between Bellefonte, Kentucky, and Ironton, Ohio. As a result, traffic along U.S. Route 23, particularly at the junction of U.S. 23 and Diederich Boulevard at Russell, Kentucky, may be interrupted intermittently between Dec. 6 and Friday, Dec. 16, as workers string new electrical conductor.  Work will be performed between 9 a.m. and 4 p.m. and any traffic interruption should be of short duration. Work on the system should not impact electrical service to local customers. In the event of inclement weather, the work start and end dates may change by a day or two.

The company has notified local officials, the State Police and has obtained the necessary work permits. Traffic control personnel will be employed to help manage traffic.

Kentucky Power is an operating unit of American Electric Power and serves approximately 175,000 customers in all or parts of 20 Eastern Kentucky Counties. American Electric Power owns more than 36,000 megawatts of generating capacity in the United States and is the nation´s largest electricity generator. AEP is also one of the largest electric utilities in the United States, with more than 5 million customers linked to AEP’s 11-state electricity transmission and distribution grid. The company is based in Columbus, Ohio.