Crux has been selected by Southern California Edison (SCE) to provide design build services for 13 replacement distribution towers along the Rhinedollar 12 kV alignment.  Rugged hillside terrain and high altitudes create a challenging drilling environment, and require expertise in helicopter-supported drilling.  Crux will serve as the general contractor for foundation work and will construct steel cap micropile foundations for all 13 tubular steel pole structures.

The 1.6-mile distribution line is located near Yosemite National Park and transports power from the Poole Power Plant to Lake Ellery.  Topography and ground conditions do not permit conventional access to the area, requiring helicopter construction techniques.  Continue reading →

Crux drills into new growth arena

Company builds power tower foundations at remote sites

“Crux Subsurface Inc., a Spokane Valley-based geotechnical exploration and construction company, has drilled into a growing segment of its business that involves building transmission line foundations on rugged and often environmentally protected properties.

While the company remains steady in its core “difficult-logistics” geotechnical soil and rock core drilling—work that’s often helicopter assisted for delivering workers and equipment—the company is growing its power transmission line project work. Crux currently has six contracts either in process or awarded for jobs that involve designing and building specialty piling foundations for transmission towers.”    View Full Article

The University of California, Santa Barbara’s publication The Bottom Line released an article discussing continued growth in California’s renewable energy sector. The state passed a bill in 2011 – referred to as the Renewable Portfolio Standard – that requires California utilities to provide at least 33% of their electricity from renewable sources by the year 2020. The law has contributed to significant investment in transmission line construction to transport the energy, and has created thousands of jobs.

Crux has been involved in several projects contributing to the clean energy initiative and has been awarded foundation work for three additional California transmission projects to begin in coming months.

Article: Renewable Energy Projects in California to Continue Expansion 

Crux has been awarded the design and construction of all helicopter-supported micropile foundations for Southern California Edison’s (SCE) Devers-Palo Verde No. 2 (DPV2) 500 kV transmission line project. Based on geotechnical reports, Crux expects to complete a total of 32 lattice tower foundations utilizing helicopter construction techniques.

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National Driller and The Foundations Report Newsletter mention Crux’s award of TL 6926.  The project is part of San Diego Gas and Electric’s Wood to Steel Program and is expected to begin in April 2012.

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Crux was recently awarded micropile foundation work on TL 6926, a segment of San Diego Gas & Electric’s (SDG&E) Wood to Steel Replacement Program. Crux’s involvement will include the design and construction of 20 micropile foundations at 16 tower sites over the seven-mile alignment.

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Operating demands have created recent growth at Crux, leading to new hires, internal promotions and increased equipment manufacturing. The company has seen 14 new hires and 4 internal promotions over the past two months, as well as 10 new drills manufactured in-house since 2010.

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Crux Performs Geotechnical Drilling for Hoover Dam Overpass Project:  Geotechnical investigations for the bridge began in late 2001 when Crux Subsurface, Inc., a geotechnical exploration and drilling contractor specializing in difficult access and logistically challenging projects, began preliminary investigations. The first significant task at this stage was to utilize information retrieved from core rock samples to determine the geotechnical evaluation of the alternative skewback locations that would support the arch along the walls of Black Canyon. This consisted of drilling seven boreholes up to 300 feet in depth at the alternative shortand long-span skewback locations on both sides of the canyon. Continue reading →