The 62-mile Barren Ridge Renewable Transmission Project traversed desert terrain and ascended rugged mountains within Angeles National Forest lands, requiring robust environmental planning to protect fragile ecosystems along the route.

In September 2016, Barnard completed the construction of a new 230kV transmission line for LADWP, connecting the Barren Ridge Switching Station with the new Haskell Canyon Switching Station. This EPC project—one facet of LADWP’s plan to increase production and use of renewable energy—featured an aggressive schedule. Barnard and design engineer Black & Veatch initiated design prior to Notice of Award to efficiently complete the preconstruction services, which involved design of the towers, lines, and foundations; full-scale tower testing; and procurement of all required permanent materials, including 16 million pounds of lattice steel, 2.1 million feet of conductor, 500,000 feet of OPGW, and all necessary line hardware.

In addition to the challenges presented by the terrain, the entire project alignment fell within or near existing utility corridors, and stakeholder and landowner relations were critical to project success. The Barnard team sequenced the tri-circuit outage work strategically, scheduled as many activities as possible during non-outage periods, and re-sequenced around areas of delayed permitting or land acquisition. Each of LADWP’s pre-set outages was completed successfully, and the transmission line was energized one month ahead of schedule.