2025 West Best Projects
Award of Merit, Energy/Industrial: Birds Landing 230-kV Transmission Line Upgrade
Birds Landing 230-kV Transmission Line Upgrade
Vista, Calif.
Award of Merit
Submitted by Michels Corp.
Owner Pacific Gas & Electric
Lead Design Firm/General Contractor Michels Pacific Energy
Upgrading this 1.5-mile double-circuit electric transmission line over the Sacramento River in Rio Vista required construction of four new lattice steel towers from the ground up.
Crews pulled conductor and static wires into place and installed a temporary bridge, all before demolishing four existing towers to complete the project. At more than 550 ft tall, two of the new towers allow for commercial vessels to pass under these transmission lines on the Sacramento River with ample clearance.
They are also among the tallest power structures west of the Mississippi River.
Ground conditions added to the project’s complexity. Because of the adjacent river, the ground was waterlogged and had to be carefully studied and monitored to ensure it could handle the weight of both the structures and the massive crane used to build them. The team also relied on a helicopter-based crew to support construction.
When it came time to remove the two existing 450-ft-tall towers next to the river, the team was unable to use cranes to complete work due to the structures’ height and weight and the environmentally sensitive location. Instead, carefully planned and engineered implosions were designed to topple the towers onto protective blankets. The towers were felled over a three-day period with each series of blasts taking the structures down in less than 30 seconds.
