It's a Bird, It's a Plane, It's a Tower: Skycrane Construction on BPA's New 500kV Transmission Line

Workers recently used a Skycrane helicopter to move and install 64 steel lattice towers on a section of the Bonneville Power Administration's 500-kilovolt McNary-John Day transmission line near Roosevelt, Washington. BPA opted to use the Skycrane instead of conventional construction methods because the slope of the terrain and soil conditions presented environmental challenges and safety concerns for the line crews.

Category:

Science & Technology

Tags:

• high-voltage
• American
• Recovery
• and
• Reinvestment
• Act
• integrating renewable energy
• wilson construction
• Skycrane
• BPA
• helicopter
• Erickson Air-Crane
• Bonneville Power
• aviation
• flying
• plane

[shadowdealer0519]

@luvsowestwa I'm assuming that you would advocate to return to using lamps and wood-burning stoves?

[felix13122]

@luvsowestwa obviously you dont know about power. Underground transmission lines wouldnt be cost effective. Lineman work on 500Kv all the time. go knit a hemp sweater somewhere off the grid and let society continue.

[Biel7318]

there is no strings attached to those workers! if they fall they fall! how are they protected?! they may be qualified by the law but they are not secure to real world injures like falls. maybe the law which they are subjected too is too soft on protecting the workers?!

[dfeers]

@Biel7318

Yes it is leagal, they are qualified climbers per 29CFR 1910.269

[ltoperater]

@Biel7318 They get hurt. they are better protected then you think. Besides it's not the fall that kill's them. It's the sudden stop at the end of the fall.

[Biel7318]

is it legal for those workers to work this unprotected? what if they fall?

[luvsowestwa]

@shadowdealer0519 NO NEED FOR MY COMMENT--YOUR USER NAME DEFINES YOU! I do adore lamps and wood-burning stoves as well as Irish sweaters, knit caps, mittens, handmade scarves. I want to help preserve this magnificent planet. I fear we humans are in grave danger within just a few generations. Do you have children SHADOWDEALER? HOW CLOSE DO THEY LIVE, PLAY AND ATTEND SCHOOL NEAR 500 KV ELECTRICAL TOWERS? PROBABLY NOT. We must care for and preserve our planet or we are lost.

[luvsowestwa]

What an ugly eye sore on the face of this beautiful earth. And BPA is so proud of this they make a YouTube video! BPA could very well have gone underground with these lines--they borrow the money from the feds and then raise rates to customers. At least I do not see any schools, homes, parks, libraries near these monster lines. We need to consider ourselves and our planet--we won't get another chance.