Confidential Transmission Infrastructure Geohazard Study
Schnabel is working with a utility owner who is constructing a 765 kV transmission line spanning across the northwestern region of the United States. The owner is evaluating 1,500 miles of proposed transmission line alignments. The alignment area has been subdivided into three zones: Zone 1, Zone 2, and Zone 3. Schnabel is performing a desktop study to identify geohazards that could impact route selection, project development, constructability, schedule, and overall project costs of a 559-mile-long portion of the transmission line alignment within Zone 2.
For this phase of the project, the owner specified that only landslide, mining, and karst geohazards were to be identified. Working with the owner, Schnabel and other engineering subconsultants compiled relevant publicly available references to understand what geohazards had already been mapped by others. Schnabel then manually identified landslide, mining, and karst geohazards within a 500-foot buffer on either side of the proposed Zone 2 alignments that were not captured by the aforementioned references based on our interpretation of aerial and LiDAR-derived hill shade imagery as well as our engineering judgement.
The results of the geohazard study were integrated into a GIS database to support geohazard risk evaluation and decision-making throughout the pre-construction phase. Following the desktop study, Schnabel will perform site reconnaissance and geotechnical exploration programs to verify and characterize identified geohazards of interest.
By identifying potential geohazard-related construction constraints early in the project development stage, Schnabel is helping the owner better understand geological risk, refine transmission line route selections, prioritize future investigations, and anticipate design and access challenges before advancing into detailed engineering and construction. The study provides critical information that supports informed planning decisions, reduces project uncertainty, and helps position the project for more efficient and cost-effective development.
