When a design team hands off a drawing package for construction, the work isn’t measured only in megawatts delivered or miles of line energized. The stakes are human.
Personal experience working in the field on a recent transmission line project supports this assertion. Collaboration with craft labor and general foremen during a multiyear engineer-procure-construct (EPC) project reinforced the value of understanding what is necessary for successful project delivery. Successful construction means more than creating a flow of electricity for consumers; it’s also a matter of seeing that everyone involved in the project goes home safe to their families each day.
Designing from this perspective requires engineers to frame their decisions around a central question: “How will this get built?” This approach means moving beyond just designing for code compliance and final configurations. It demands attention to the nuances of outage planning and phased construction, including but not limited to access road limitations, construction package clarity and the real-time dynamics of jobsite decision-making.
Engineering for Every Phase, Not Just the End
A 55-mile project rebuilding existing double-circuit 230-kV lines into new tubular steel 345-kV lines involved seven major construction segments spread across three years. Within tight nonreturnable outage windows, temporary configurations were just as critical as the permanent installation. These temporary configurations were carefully planned; however, it took the knowledge of a foreman to recognize that changes would need to be made to one of these temporary configurations for safer wire pulling. The foreman raised concerns about pulling new conductor through a deadend structure that supported an energized temporary tie. Although required clearance would be met once installed, the setup introduced high safety risk from induced voltage for work crews.
Because a design engineer was on-site, the team was able to develop a new shoo-fly configuration well ahead of wire-pulling efforts, completely rerouting the temporary conductor away from the deadend structure to be used for the wire pull. This solution underscored a core lesson: Detailed transmission design must account for build sequence risks, not just endpoint compliance. Having an engineering presence during construction enabled efficient coordination with subcontractors to address concerns before the schedule could be impacted.
Matching Design to Access and Equipment Capabilities
Transmission line projects typically operate within physically constrained, high-voltage environments. Road gradients, pad stability, and maneuvering space for drill rigs, cranes and other heavy equipment are more than mere matters of construction logistics; they are safety parameters. Designers should anticipate questions like:
- Can a flatbed carrying 15,000 pounds of steel safely navigate the access road’s incline?
- Will the drill rig have sufficient workspace to swivel and change drilling tooling while a loader simultaneously hauls away drilling spoils?
- Is the terrain stable enough for a crane to safely lift and install long steel poles?
These projects require a wide variety of heavy equipment for construction. Civil design that aligns with contractor methods reduces downstream improvisation, which is a common cause for jobsite injuries.
Prioritizing Safety in Structure Spotting
The location of new transmission structures relative to existing structures can be important for both foundation integrity and ease of construction. A general guideline is to position new structures three foundation diameters from areas of disturbed soil. It is important to remember that contractor means and methods will play a role in the area that is disturbed. For example, temporary smooth wall casings result in excavation footprints several feet larger than the specified diameter.
Another item to take into account when spotting structures is the proximity to existing guy wires. Sometimes the placement of existing guys might conflict with the footprint needed for new foundations, or they may be somewhere inconvenient for the contractor drilling a nearby foundation. Conflicts with guy wires can be addressed early by coordinating with subcontractors to temporarily remove or relocate the guys. This engineering verification is necessary for the stability of the work area and, by extension, the safety of crews operating heavy machinery. Alternatively, if structures can be spotted free and clear of any existing guys, this will help mitigate many potential challenges during construction.
Proximity to Neighboring Circuits
When operating in corridors where adjacent circuits remain energized, it can be a significant challenge for contractors to maintain minimum approach distances (MAD). Circuits that adhere to National Electrical Safety Code (NESC) clearance requirements could still be challenging for crews to safely construct and maintain.
It's the crew's job to ground equipment and maintain safe practices, but designers who apply a safety mindset and recognize these risks can preempt hazardous conditions. Opting for alternate configurations or structure placements during design can mean fewer risks to mitigate later.
Paying Attention to Details
Engineers have a responsibility to leave no stone unturned while the design is still in their hands so that issues aren’t uncovered once it is in construction. Two more important ways designers can prevent headaches in the field:
- Structure design: Treat fabrication drawing review as an opportunity to verify that even the smallest details of the design are correct. A missed hole, mislabeled dimension or improper bolt specification can become a safety hazard when workers are forced to improvise under schedule pressure to address issues that could have been avoided. An engineer on-site also can help identify fabrication issues before structures are installed and coordinate with craft labor and suppliers to more efficiently solve any problems.
- Construction packages: When construction drawings aren’t clear or omit details, crews need to pause and adjust plans. This introduces uncertainty and increases the risk of missteps. Deviations from standard procedures should be highlighted, and complex aspects of the scope should be communicated as clearly as possible. Being able to anticipate a day’s tasks on the jobsite plays a large role in planning for safety, and construction drawings are the road map for this planning.
Integrating Field Voices Into Design
General foremen and crew leaders bring decades of experience navigating difficult environments and understand what it takes to foster a safety-oriented culture. Their input during the design phase can identify hazards that drawings alone might miss. Close collaboration can create opportunities to improve both sequencing and design, often in ways to make execution safer and more efficient.
During construction, time-sensitive questions from the field need fast, informed answers. This requires engineers to speak the language of construction. Encouraging early-career engineers to support field execution helps build fluency in time-sensitive situations and reinforces the feedback loop that drives better, safer design.
Building With Safety as a Design Input
Transmission lines are more than systems of steel, conductor and concrete. They are constructed environments where real people face real risks. For electric utilities, integrating construction safety into the design phase isn’t an optional enhancement. It’s a necessity for reducing schedule delays, cost overruns and, most important, safety incidents.
As project scope and voltage levels increase, so too does the complexity of safe construction. Addressing that complexity through thoughtful design and proactive coordination represents responsible stewardship of both infrastructure and the people who build it.
