Perils for Pedestrians
TV talk about people who walk
Gallery of Power Line Right-of-Way Trails
Pedestrians and bicyclists need the same sort of long, continuous right-of-way (ROW) that utilities use. Doubling up use on an existing ROW is usually easier and cheaper than creating a new pedestrian ROW from scratch, and therefore can be a wise use of scarce resources when pedestrian funding is limited.
Here are some examples of the many existing trails along high tension power line ROWs. They look just like ped/bike trails you would find anywhere. For more information on pedestrian use of utility ROWs, see the Right of Way page.
Papillion, Nebraska
The Western Hills Connector Trail follows high tension lines over steep slopes in Papillion, Nebraska. The wide ROW provides plenty of room for curves and switchbacks to keep the grade at acceptable levels.
Dallas, Texas
The Preston Ridge Trail in Dallas, TX, is just one of many trails that run under the high tension lines of Oncor Electric Delivery Company. Oncor operates the largest electricity distribution and transmission system in Texas.
"We are in our communities listening to our customers and they tell us that community trails are important to them," said Oncor Chief Customer Officer, Brenda Jackson. "The Oncor Texas Trails program is a way we can truly give back to our customers throughout our communities. It will also give our employees another opportunity to support community needs."
http://www.nctcog.org/trans/committees/bpac/documents/Oncor_HikeBikeTrail_Guidelines.pdf
Photograph courtesy Jon Morrison.
Horsham Township, Pennsylvania
The Horsham Powerline Trail runs under high tension lines belonging to PECO. The trail is wide enough to handle PECO maintenance trucks. The bridge in this photo can handle up to 20 tons.
Several other communities are considering trails under PECO high tension lines. PECO and its parent company Exelon helped fund the Greenways and Trails Master Plan for Limerick Township. From page 49 of the study:
"PECO requires a three step process once the township decides to move forward with the construction of a trail on PECO lands: 1) The township submits engineered construction plans to PECO; 2) PECO conducts their in-house review across multiple departments; and, 3) plans are revised per PECO comments before the licensing agreement is executed. The review process typically lasts 3-4 months or longer."
More information on PECO's policies are in the appendix.
http://www.docs.dcnr.pa.gov/cs/groups/public/documents/document/dcnr_20028564.pdf
Norristown, Pennsylvania
The Schuylkill River Trail follows PECO high tension lines along an abandoned rail line going past downtown Norristown. The trail will eventually run almost 130 miles along the river northwest from downtown Philadelphia, with substantial parts under power lines.
Skippack Township, Pennsylvania
The Skippack Trail runs under four sets of PECO high tension lines. Despite the mass of wires overhead, the trail is a popular connection between parks and other trails. The trail shares the right of way with corn fields, tomato fields, and horse corrals.
DuPage County, Illinois
The Illinois Prairie Path runs under Commonwealth Edison power lines. The power line right of way is also an abandoned rail line, and the path was one of the first rails-to-trails conversions in the country when it was started in the 1960s.
Photograph courtesy Daniel Thomas, DuPage County Division of Transportation
Columbia, Maryland
A local trail runs under BG&E high tension lines. Columbia, Maryland, has an extensive network of trails that connect neighborhoods and communities along both sides of the right of way.
Plano, Texas
The city of Plano, Texas (north of Dallas) has a shared use trail that runs for part of its route under high tension lines.
Photograph courtesy Debra Goeks, Association of Pedestrian and Bicycle Professionals (APBP)
Henderson, Nevada
Trail using power line ROW in Henderson, Nevada.
Photograph courtesy Dan Allison
Burlington, Ontario
A trail/powerline corridor in Burlington, Ontario.
Photographs courtesy Dylan Passmore M.Sc.Pl, IBI Group. 
Seattle, Washington
Chief Sealth Trail in Seattle, Washington.
Photographs courtesy Bill Schultheiss, P.E., and Peter A. Lagerwey, Toole
Design Group.
Folsom, California
Folsom, California has many power lines coming from Folsom Dam, and some of the power line corridors have bicycle/pedestrian paths. This is the Oak Parkway Trail (aka the power line trail) under construction in 2007.
Photograph courtesy Anthony C. Powers, P.E., Dokken Engineering.
Liberty Township, Ohio
A trail in a powerline easement in Liberty Township, Butler Co., Ohio. The street in the foreground is Ashdale Ct. Nearby to the north is a connecting trail in a gas line easement.
Photograph courtesy Don Burrell, OKI Regional Council of Governments in Cincinnati.
Scottsdale, Arizona
This is the path along the Arizona Cross Cut Canal in Scottsdale, Arizona.
Photograph courtesy Stephan Vance, Senior Regional Planner, San Diego Association of Governments
Ventura, California
Power line trail in Ventura, California. 
Photographs courtesy John Cinatl, Caltrans - District 6 Bicycle Coordinator
- Retired
Clovis/Fresno and Port Hueneme/Oxnard, CA
West Windsor, New Jersey
Bicyclists enjoy the Trolley Line Trail in West Windsor, New Jersey.
Photograph courtesy Jerry Foster
wwbpa.org
Falls Church, Virginia
The Washington & Old Dominion Trail in Falls Church, Virginia, runs close enough to touch the pylons holding the power lines. Since the power lines are high in the air, the surface is available for a trail.
Portland, Oregon
The Springwater Corridor Trail shares a ROW with both a rail line and a power line in Portland, Oregon. In 1903 the Olmsted Brothers produced a park plan for Portland that included scenic boulevards and trails. The proposed trail system has grown with the city, and now uses many types of ROWs to create a network.
Dallas, Texas
Katy Trail in Dallas, Texas.
Photograph courtesy Bill Schultheiss, P.E., Toole Design Group.
Dayton, Ohio
The Mad River Bikeway, part of a large system of paved off-road trails in the Miami River Valley in southwest Ohio.
Photograph Courtesy Judy Floy.
Papillion, Nebraska
A trail along a power line forms part of a local trail network in the Shadow Lake neighborhood in Papillion, Nebraska.
Photograph courtesy Donald Wetmore.
Mays Landing, New Jersey
The Atlantic County Bikeway travels under power lines for Atlantic City Electric.
Battle Creek, Michigan 
The Battle Creek Linear Park trail extends for over 25 miles, with multiple loops through the city, along the Kalamazoo river, and under high tension lines.
Photograph courtesy Mitch Barloga.
Pewaukee, Wisconsin 
A deer crosses the Lake Country Trail in Waukesha County, Wisconsin.
Annandale, Virginia 
Mountain bicyclists enjoy dirt trails under power lines in Wakefield
Park.
Glen Dale, Maryland 
The Washington, Baltimore, and Annapolis Trail (WB&A) runs under transmission lines for Baltimore Gas and Electric (BG&E) in Glen Dale, Maryland.
An old "No Trespassing" sign is still visible in the weeds
near the WB&A Trail. Ever since this section of the trail was built
in 2000, the "No Trespassing" message has been obsolete. 
In contrast, a simple request for a trail was denied by PEPCO recently.
More on Right of Way Trails.