ARCHIE PUGH SENT ME AN E-MAIL THAT HAD A BIT OF AN EDGE. Archie, an engineer with American Electric Power (AEP), wanted to know why I hadn't contacted his company for an article on its 765-kV Wyoming-to-Jackson's Ferry line. It's not that we hadn't provided coverage. We had run a series of releases and small articles on the siting and construction of this line, but we hadn't provided in-depth coverage.

I love to get notes like Archie's because it means that someone cares. It means that someone takes pride in his or her work. Because of Archie's encouragement or admonishment (or both), I set out to investigate the engineering effort that went into this mammoth project.

IN THE BEGINNING

Since 1990, when the initiative was announced, it had become the poster project for the bogged-down regulatory approval processes that killed so many transmission projects in the 1980s and 90s. But, AEP persevered and has managed to come out the other side. Utilities in similar situations can now tell their public service commissions of a utility that was able to add to its bulk power system to meet load growth.

No one puts in a major line without tackling issues. This 765-kV project had challenges aplenty. On the technical side, the route traversed through the rugged Appalachian Mountains, requiring sophisticated engineering structure and foundation design. In a bold move that made the project more palatable to neighbors, AEP also developed a six-conductor bundle design to reduce audible noise — a first in the United States.

On route selection, AEP crossed the scenic New River and navigated through a 700,000-acre national forest. The road construction contractor, Orders and Central Contracting Inc., had its own issues, including the construction of 160 miles (257 km) of access roads and an incredibly wet winter in 2003-2004 that made progress torturous. The construction contractor, PAR Electrical Contractors, handled more than 9000 tons of steel to construct 111 self-supporting suspension towers and 222 guyed-V towers.

THE CONSTRUCTION SITE

Jim Haunty, vice president of transmission capital improvements with AEP, invited me to visit the construction site, which I was more than happy to do. I pored over engineering documents and drawings with AEP's hot-shot engineers. Of course, Archie Pugh was there, along with Kelly Bledsoe. This duo is as rabid (i.e. committed) a pair of engineers as you would want to meet. They spent the better part of an evening going through the decision-making process behind the final designs of their towers and foundations. I was blown away with the level of engineering sophistication required in dealing with this tough terrain and difficult soils. These engineers weren't flying solo, instead seeking the best expertise they could find. Kelly, AEP's lead for foundation design, worked closely with GAI to develop new pyramid grillages and guyed-V anchors. Archie, AEP's lead for tower design, had access to the in-company expertise of Dale Williams, manager of transmission line standards. He also sought assistance from Black & Veatch's Dave Earles for guyed-V towers and private consultants Bob Nickerson for dead-end towers, and Michel Belanger for self-supporting suspension towers.

The next day, Ron Poff, project manager, took me to the construction site to witness a pull of a 2-mile (3-km) span of the six-conductor bundle (quite an adrenaline rush for me) in the West Virginia mountains. I climbed up to look over the controls of a tensioner that was specially designed for this project. This device has three sets of brakes: brakes on individual bullwheels, a massive water-cooled brake and individual reel brakes. The conductor is pulled slowly, which enables the operator to make minor adjustments to all three brakes. We then flew the route in a helicopter, where I witnessed linemen installing spacer dampers in Virginia from line-crawling buggies. Again, from the air, I could only marvel at the difficulty of overcoming the challenges of this mountainous terrain. I noticed that lines were often placed on mountainsides instead of running down the ridgelines to reduce visibility.

ALL-ENCOMPASSING COVERAGE

It's been a couple of months now since my visit to the construction site. AEP Communications Manager Todd Burns tells me that all 333 towers are up along the 90-mile (145-km) route, and all that remains is wire-pulling and reclamation. After a 13-year permitting process, reaching the end of the heavy construction phase on the Wyoming-Jackson's Ferry project is a big milestone as AEP works to meet the project's mid-2006 in-service date.

There are so many stories within a story here that I've come to realize a single article will not do this project justice. Therefore, we are working with AEP engineers and managers to provide a series of articles to cover all aspects of this epic project.

Archie, it looks like you got your wish, only now you'll have to deliver. An international audience is looking forward to hearing your story.