Crux awarded TL 6926 foundation work

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.

TL 6926 links the Rincon and Valley Center substations near Escondido, CA, and will require the replacement of 126 total poles to improve the reliability of the line in fire- and wind-prone areas. 16 replacement sites are located in challenging, steep terrain where conventional foundation construction would be inefficient or impossible. For these locations, Crux will install micropile foundations with patent-pending technology.

Benefits of micropile foundation technology include wide adaptability and application, minimized environmental impact, and cost-effectiveness when conventional foundations are not feasible.

SDG&E’s Wood to Steel program is intended to improve fire safety while simultaneously reducing maintenance expenses. The program involves the replacement of more than 5,000 wooden poles in rural areas throughout San Diego County and is expected to take another 3 or 4 years to complete.

This will be the sixth Wood to Steel segment for which Crux has been awarded foundation work, with previous segments including TL 678, TL 689, TL 6927, TL 935 and TL 685. Construction of this segment is scheduled to begin in January 2012.

About Crux

Crux Subsurface, Inc. is a geotechnical exploration and construction firm headquartered in Spokane, WA. The Company provides contract drilling and related services to the geotechnical industry. Crux specializes in difficult-access and environmentally sensitive drill sites, providing innovative technologies and specialty drill equipment to complete projects in logistically challenging environments. Currently, Crux owns a total of five patents pending approval that relate to micropile foundations for transmission line projects. Crux provides more than 10 years of experience specifically in micropile foundation construction, and offers additional services in soil and rock core drilling, casing advancing, permeation grouting, borehole imaging and orientation, instrument installation, and pre-tunnel excavation, exploration and stabilization.

About San Diego Gas & Electric

SDG&E is a Sempra Energy subsidiary based out of San Diego, CA. The public utility  provides electricity and natural gas to more than million customers in San Diego and southern Orange County.