Black & Veatch Completes Construction in One of the Most Environmentally Sensitive Areas

The expression “beauty is only skin deep” certainly applies to San Francisco, California. On the surface, it is considered one of the most beautiful cities on earth. But the underside of the city is a different story. San Francisco straddles a major fault line where tremors are frequent and earthquakes are not uncommon. There is also an issue with a mineral compound known as Naturally Occurring Asbestos (NOA), which is in the ground and near the surface. The area is also environmentally delicate and requires extensive permitting by the state and city to do any underground work.

That situation was one of several challenges Black & Veatch crews encountered in completing the Pacific Gas and Electric Company (PG&E) Martin to Hunters Point underground transmission line project in San Francisco. Besides the 5.1-mile distance of the 115 kilovolt (kV) line, Black & Veatch went to great lengths to ensure strong community outreach, minimize traffic disruptions and provide extreme care for the environment.

In applying for permits for the project, Black & Veatch was prepared to work closely with the city of San Francisco. With an underground project like this, planners expected to encounter an enormous number of existing underground utility lines in the San Francisco streets.

Another factor was that 80 percent of the 5.1-mile route ran through residential districts, which meant work on the project would have to be done during the day instead of at night and, therefore, pedestrian and vehicle traffic would be heavier. The transmission line was installed in concrete-encased duct bank buried beneath streets in front of schools, homes, business districts, major mass transit hubs and parks.

The Martin to Hunters Point transmission line provides immediate additional reliability and operational flexibility to the San Francisco area electric transmission system and also represents the third and final leg involving two previous projects.