The Pittsburgh area will see the installation of some 100 new transmission towers, starting Dec. 13, according to Duquesne Light Company (DLC).
The Pittsburgh-based company’s BI-Crescent Transmission Project will replace more than 100 transmission towers to both upgrade aging infrastructure and increase capacity. The current towers, located along a 14.5-mile stretch between the company’s Brunot Island and Crescent Township substations, are more than 100 years old. These towers provide energy to customers in Crescent, Moon, Robinson and Kennedy townships, as well as McKees Rocks and the City of Pittsburgh.
“There’s a greater demand for energy as our communities continue to grow. To meet that demand, we must find ways to enhance performance and service reliability,” Jason Hartle, a project manager for DLC who is overseeing BI-Crescent, said. “The transmission lines between Brunot Island and Crescent Township were installed more than a century ago, and it’s time to upgrade that network. The design and technology improvements will help us deliver energy more efficiently to homes, businesses and communities in that area.”
The new towers will be approximately 155 feet high on average, far taller than the current towers, which average 93 feet in height. Further, they will be constructed with weathered steel monopoles, as opposed to the existing galvanized lattice steel towers. The monopoles have a number of benefits, including a smaller ground footprint, reduced inspection and maintenance costs, and stacked circuits that are farther away from trees and other vegetation.
Construction, which will generally occur during winter months, will be complete by 2027. The project will cause occasional scheduled power outages for some customers, but they will be notified in advance, and they won’t last more than two hours at a time. There will also be increased traffic around construction zones, including periodic single lane closures. Also, DLC will work with property owners in designated work areas to help minimize disruptions.
“Our customers have come to expect a high level of service from us,” John Hilderbrand II, DLC’s vice president of operations, said. “Through projects like BI-Crescent, we’re working to exceed their expectations now and going forward.”
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