Bullitt Street Chesterfield Avenue 138 kV Line Replacement

To provide more reliable service and prepare for future demand, an expanded electric grid was needed. The owner called on Schnabel for support. The $110 million project involved the upgrading of a 138 kV network in Charleston, West Virginia, with Schnabel performing geotechnical investigation, geotechnical engineering interpretation of the data, and laboratory testing services for the design of lattice, direct embed, and custom towers.

Geologic conditions varied greatly across the project, ranging from alluvial and terrace deposits along the Kanawha River to residual soils and siltstone and sandstone bedrock in the upper elevations of the site. Further complicating the project, traffic control and permitting required extensive coordination with the West Virginia Department of Highways and the City of Charleston. The field investigation called for coordination with numerous individuals and entities, including the various subcontractors needed to perform the work, the landowners and government entities for access to their property, and the owner’s environmental, right of way, and construction representatives.