Workers with large rolls of transmission line

24-mile 138kV Transmission Line Rebuild

January 2016–January 2017 in Monee, Illinois Riggs Distler
Workers with large rolls of transmission line

Project Overview

Our host utility needed to replace an aging 138kv transmission line stretching 24 miles across northeastern Illinois. Working under a tight schedule, Riggs Distler was selected to rebuild and reconductor the entire line. Our crews worked efficiently to remove the line’s old wooden structures and construct new steel monopoles, reinforcing the line for decades to come.

Challenges Overcome

The route of the transmission line presented several challenges, including major highway crossings, lake and river crossings, and inaccessible wetlands. Our crews fought Midwestern rain and wind storms while completing the work.

The project moved on a fast schedule, with strict outage windows limiting the first two work sessions to one month in March and three weeks in May. Relying on industry-leading work approaches and strong communication with the host utility, we carefully coordinated all project work with the help of our in-house Environmental Matting team, who laid extensive matting to make work on the line possible.

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Services

Transmission

Our work included:

  • Installing 215 Monopoles
  • Removing 202 H Structures
  • Laying 31 Foundations
  • Managing 24 miles of Construction Matting (including laying 8 miles at once)
  • Reconductoring Transmission Line with T2 Twist 1133 Wire

Results Delivered

Riggs Distler completed all work to rebuild and bring the 138kV transmission line online over 110 days in the field. With our focus on safety in execution and continual oversight, the work was completed swiftly and efficiently. We were able to realize significant cost savings for our host utility and deliver improved power service for the people of northern Illinois.