The project is part of PacifiCorp’s Gateway West Transmission Line Project and consisted of a new, approximately 138-mile, high-voltage electric transmission line in Southern Wyoming.
Team Members
PacifiCorp
Longfellow Drilling
Crux Subsurface
Crux’s Role
The foundation scope consisted of reinforced concrete drilled piers for 518 four-legged lattice towers, 21 steel poles, and 26 direct embedded two-pole structures. Crux worked with sister company Longfellow Drilling to reduce subsurface risk through foundation design and construction monitoring in an area with problematic coal seams and other unpredictable geotechnical conditions.
Crux managed a strategic geotechnical investigation during construction to fill in data gaps and verify suspected problem areas. As the Foundation Engineer of Record, Crux also developed flexible designs that could be adapted to site conditions during installation. Crux geologists worked on-site with Longfellow to identify conditions, which were communicated to the design team in real-time so any necessary design changes could be implemented quickly and effectively. This dynamic approach allowed for a reduction in standard design conservatism and reduced foundation volumes by approximately 10% compared to the base-bid designs.