The New York Power Authority's board of trustees approved $124 million as part of a project to rebuild a major transmission line in the state.

The funds will go toward initial permitting, engineering, design and procuring new steel poles and foundations to rebuild a transmission artery running north-to-south through St. Lawrence and Lewis counties as part of the Moses-Adirondack Smart Path Reliability Project.

Governor Andrew Cuomo announced the reconstruction of the 78-mile transmission line in July 2017, and the NYPA board approved $18.6 million earlier in 2018 for the project, according to an Oct. 10 news release. The project aims to allow renewable power generated in upstate New York to connect with the power grid elsewhere in the state.

The project is expected to cost $480 million in total, and construction is scheduled to begin in 2020. The transmission line will be operational in three to four years from the start of construction. The project is part of an application NYPA filed for approval with the New York Public Service Commission in April.