Transmission Construction within Historic Plutonium Site
The project involved Construction of a new 18-mile double circuit 230kV transmission line between BPA’s Midway and Ashe Substations, located on the Hanford Site near Richland WA. The new line replaced aging infrastructure, and was required to meet the needs of both Bonneville Power Administration (BPA) and the Department of Energy – Richland office, and supports the Hanford site clean-up mission.
Team Members
Bonneville Power Association
Sturgeon Electric
Crux Subsurface
Crux’s Role
Crux was contracted to install pressed plate and grillage foundations for 96 four-legged lattice tower structures. Work scope also included trenching, in addition to hauling, building and final backfilling. Ultimately, 296 pressed plates and 88 grillage foundations were successfully installed.
Project challenges included working within the Hanford site, a 586-square-mile area historically utilized for plutonium production. This entailed advanced crew training and additional mitigation measures, which are standard when performing excavation services on property due to the potential for high levels of radiation. Additional challenges included snowy and icy conditions, as well as non-linear construction operations due to material delivery schedules, which took a substantial amount of pre-planning and coordination.
Project challenges included working within the Hanford site, a 586-square-mile area historically utilized for plutonium production.
