Salt Lake City International Airport expansion transmission line relocations

The Salt Lake City International Airport is expanding. The expansion includes the addition of a new runway and ancillary facilities to provide for existing and future operation of the airport. The planned location of the new runway required that a corridor of PacifiCorp´s overhead transmission lines located west and northwest of the airport be relocated further west. Unforeseen at the time was the fact that the bulk of construction would occur during Utah´s record breaking winter of 1993, which saw approximately 2 m (6 ft) of snow fall in the valley. A total of four double-circuit lines were relocated; a double-circuit 345 kV, a double-circuit 230 kV, a double-circuit 138 kV and a double-circuit 138/46 kV line. The 345 and 230 kV line relocations were approximately 6.75 km (4.2 mi) long. The relocated 138 and 138/46 kV lines were approximately 7.9 km (4.9 mi) long. A total of 164 tubular steel structures were designed, purchased. and installed. After construction and cut-over of the new line, the existing lines were to be removed. This paper describes some of the features unique to this transmission line relocation project