Great Egg Harbor Crossing Rebuild Project

Project Overview

Riggs Distler was contracted to assemble and install eight electric transmission towers to provide improved electrical service to customers in Atlantic and Cape May counties. The existing lattice structures were originally installed in the 1960s; these upgrades modernize and greatly improve the system’s performance.

The towers and equipment were loaded onto barges in sections and hauled to the foundations in the bay, where Riggs Distler’s crews used two 40-ton cranes with man baskets mounted on separate barges to assemble the towers and install components.

Challenges Overcome

In order to perform the water-based work, Riggs Distler’s team had to contend with daily tidal cycles, which required extensive and continuous planning. Every day, our work had to be carefully scheduled in order to ensure tides allowed the proper draft for boats and barges to access the work site and return home at the end of the day. Any missed opportunity or lapse in scheduling could have caused a 24-hour delay. Since environmental laws required all water-based work to be performed between September and December, maintaining our schedule was crucial to successful project completion.

The land-based tower sites were located in environmentally protected areas, as well as being in a tidal water area. With that, extensive action was taken at each location to ensure the locations remained undisturbed. Our environmental matting team made sure that the area was carefully protected using mats, silt socks, and silt fencing, and we performed daily inspections to ensure the integrity of the surrounding environment.