Project activities will be paused for the month as required.

June marks an exciting phase of the project with the arrival of a Chinook (CH-47) helicopter to lift and set structures at various locations along the 12-mile project area. The Bird Ridge parking lot (fly yard), and areas between Mileposts 90 to 95, will be most impacted. Helicopter activity will be near and will occasionally cross the roadway while transporting structures to tower pad locations outside the guard rail. Traffic controls will adhere to existing lane closure permits, active from 7:00 am to 6:00 pm Monday through Thursday, and 7:00 am to 4:30 pm on Friday. Traffic controls will extend to Saturday and Sunday between 7:00 am and 4:30 pm as needed. Expect delays of up to 20 minutes during helicopter operations. We aim to complete the helicopter work within the first week of June.

For the remainder of May, we will focus on rock bolt drilling and grouting, culvert installation, pile driving, and pile cap welding. Our linemen are busy pre-assembling structures in preparation for the helicopter lift operations scheduled for the first week of June. Traffic controls will be in effect from 7:00 am to 6:00 pm Monday through Thursday, and from 7:00 am to 4:30 pm on Friday. Minor traffic delays are expected during the week. With civil work nearing completion, the number of trucks and heavy equipment operating between Mileposts 90 to 95 has decreased. Pile driving continues at the work pads, and NPC crews are frequently sweeping road shoulders and bike paths within the active work zone to ensure safe access for everyone.

The construction contract for the project has been awarded to Northern Powerline Constructors Inc. Construction will be phased and is expected to run throughout the remainder of 2024 and into the spring of 2025. The following is a high-level overview and approximate timeline of activities:

Sections 1, 2, & 4 – March-June 2024: Civil and underground construction in March and April, followed by pole setting and stringing.

Section 5 – March-August 2024: A large work effort that relies on permits that are currently pending. Some lane closures expected in March, April, May, and August.

Sections 3 & 6 – January-March 2025: Some lane closures for Phase 3 in January and February 2025 for pole setting and stringing. Section 6 includes installation of a temporary transmission line in current right-of-way then installation of new structures.

Carlos Tree Service has resumed work for vegetation clearing. The last segment of clearing is in the Bird Creek community area on the North side of the transmission line. Carlos has been directed to contact landowners for coordination prior to resuming work on their properties.

A line contractor has not been selected for the transmission line rebuild. Chugach expects to select a contractor by early January. Chugach will honor the commitment with TACC to hold another community meeting with the contractor present. Chugach and the contractor will go over the proposed construction schedule and general impacts while working in close proximity to landowners.

The rebuild of the line should be authorized starting January 2024 with the completion date of June 2025. Until the contractor is selected it is unknown when the contractor will be working in the Bird Creek and Indian communities.

The Quartz Creek transmission line is a significant part of the power grid in Southcentral Alaska, carrying electricity generated by the Bradley Lake Hydroelectric Facility, which is Alaska’s largest source of carbon-free renewable power. The transmission line was initially constructed more than 60 years ago and inspections confirmed that many of the structures have reached the end of their useful life and need to be replaced to maintain safe, reliable power.

Chugach plans to install new utility structures (e.g., poles or towers) and remove the old structures. In most cases, each new structure will be located near the existing structure to be removed, except where current design standards require a change in location due to siting constraints (e.g., to avoid avalanche-prone areas). New utility structures will increase in height by an average of 25 feet and 3 feet in width for public safety and increased electric reliability. Structures will be placed to avoid avalanche zones where possible and additional strength will be added to structures placed within avalanche zones. To meet expected future electricity demand, the line will be rebuilt with a larger conductor. For modernization and resiliency purposes a fiber optic line will be added for faster equipment response times and system visibility.

Chugach’s transmission system is established with redundant sources which allow for work to be performed with minimal disruption to our individual customers. Chugach does not anticipate any scheduled outages to customers over the course of this project.

Undergrounding this line would pose significant technical design and access challenges, as well as creating significant barriers to proper maintenance of the line and troubleshooting during outage conditions. Placing a transmission line underground in the Girdwood to Indian segment would be a 7-to-10-fold increase in construction and maintenance costs, which would largely be passed on to customers in the form of higher rates. For these reasons, undergrounding this transmission line has been deemed unfeasible.

Chugach plans to start clearing overgrown vegetation in February 2023, begin construction shortly thereafter, and complete construction in 2024. Chugach plans to conduct most clearing and construction when the ground is frozen, which will be especially important when operating equipment to access and replace utility structures located in wetlands. Project elements located in upland areas can be constructed during any seasonal period. However, Chugach will avoid vegetation clearing from May 1 to July 15 to protect nesting migratory birds.

The project ROW is primarily routed adjacent to public land. In the Bird Creek community, landowners with properties that abut the ROW may see and/or hear construction and vegetation crews while the crews are actively working on the segment.

Chugach is required to clear the ROW to maintain adequate clearance between the energized transmission line and vegetation. Chugach typically clears overgrown vegetation from the ROW and along access routes every 10 years for maintenance. Prior to rebuilding the line, Chugach must clear vegetation to reestablish currently overgrown access routes to the ROW and clear vegetation from within the ROW. Vegetation clearing will occur throughout the 100-ft wide ROW while access routes will require a 12-ft maximum clearing width. Buffering zones will be retained at stream crossings. Vegetation clearing methods will include mechanical clearing, hand clearing, or a combination of both, depending on site conditions.

Chugach is working with the Alaska Department of Transportation and Public Facilities (DOT&PF) to minimize disrupting traffic flow on the Seward Highway. Replacing the utility towers that run directly adjacent to the Seward Highway will require temporary lane closures to allow the ingress and egress of heavy equipment as well as to maintain a safe work environment during construction. When possible, work on the towers will avoid the summer driving period and/or weekends when traffic volumes are their highest.

Chugach has developed several measures to avoid and/or minimize potential impacts on wetlands, streams, water, and wildlife. Prior to construction, a wildlife biologist will survey the area to identify potential bear dens and eagle nests so impacts can be avoided. Work that requires crossing wetlands or water will occur primarily in winter when the ground/water is sufficiently frozen. Low-pressure ground equipment and/or distributed weight matting will be used where necessary. Vegetative buffers will be maintained along streams, and a storm water pollution prevention plan will be implemented. There may be temporary trail closures when working in close proximity to a trail.