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.<
>