MADISON, Wis. (AP) — The three utility companies planning a high-powered transmission line from the Madison area to Iowa have picked a preferred route that runs along existing highway and power line corridors rather than farms and fields.

The proposed 345-kilovolt Cardinal-Hickory Creek line would run along Highway 18-151 from the Cardinal electrical substation in Middleton, go west from Dodgeville to Montfort, head southwest to Cassville and then move south to the Hickory Creek substation near Dubuque, Iowa, the Wisconsin State Journal reported .

"The project team worked to identify options that would largely follow existing transmission lines and highways while balancing factors such as environmental impacts, engineering and constructability," said Gregory Levesque, director of environmental and local relations for American Transmission Co.

Read the full article on the Sioux City Journal website.