(KTNC) - Residents of northwest Missouri and southeast Nebraska learned more about a high-voltage transmission line project during a series of open house meetings this past week. 
 The Midwest Transmission Project is a project between the Omaha Public Power District and Kansas City Power and Light.  It involves a 345-kilovolt transmission line that will connect OPPD’s substation near Nebraska City to a new substation south of Maryville, down to K-C-P-and-L’s substation near Sibley, Missouri. 
 An open house was held Tuesday in Falls City.  Kent Herzog with the Omaha Public Power District says the open houses are a way for them to share information about the project as they determine a route for the line.  (play audio  :19)
 Herzog says the area being studied for the transmission line includes a sizeable area of northwest Missouri and a portion of southeast Nebraska.  (play audio  :18)
 The Midwest Transmission Project is a priority project as determined by the Southwest Power Pool.  Herzog says the line will improve reliability, reduce congestion on the electric grid, and provide access for future renewable resources, such as wind power. 
 Herzog says they’re in the initial stages, gathering information on a possible route for the line.  (play audio  :38)
 Herzog explains the 345-kilovolt line is the highest voltage line built in this area.  (play audio  :17)
 The project timeline calls for the route to be selected by next summer, with construction to begin in the summer of 2015 and the project to be completed in the summer of 2017. 
 Herzog says the project will have minimal impact on electric rates, as the cost of the project will be shared among all members of the Southwest Power Pool, which is comprised of utilities that serve parts of nine states from Texas north to Nebraska.