Designing Transmission Lines for Changing River Conditions
Transmission infrastructure that crosses rivers must be designed to withstand rapidly changing conditions and extreme weather events. Yet, the electrical transmission industry offers limited published guidance on how to design structural foundations to address these challenges. As a result, many utilities rely on best practices borrowed from more established industries.
In New Mexico, the Rio Salado River presented a unique challenge — and opportunity — for our team. Tasked with replacing a high-voltage transmission line across a river that can swing from bone-dry to flooded within months, we needed a plan that could adapt to these extremes.
To address the river’s unpredictable nature, our structural engineers considered nonstructural events such as bank erosion, flooding and debris impact when designing the foundations. Drawing from multiple studies and data sources, they developed a resilient solution tailored to the site’s dynamic conditions.
Brittany Huntsberger, transmission engineering manager and structural leader, shares insights into our approach in a feature article about designing transmission lines for changing river conditions in American Society of Civil Engineers’ Civil Engineering Magazine.
