Company:
TenCate Geosynthetics Americas Pendergrass, GA

Project Details

Fabric 1

Mirafi
Producer: TenCate Geosynthetics
Supplier: TenCate Geosynthetics


Engineer Company 1
Florida Power & Light

Subcontractor Company
Phillips & Jordan

Installation Company
Irby


Please describe the project specifications

This was a 68-mile, power delivery project which involved not only transmission line set-up, but site preparation, access road construction, and foundations. There was construction of access roads and tower pads to support power delivery to connect several substations and add a new transmission line for Florida's southeast region.


What was the purpose of this project? What did the client request?

The purpose of this project was to support Florida’s southeast regional power needs as several substations and a new transmission line had to be built to provide transmission of electricity from West Palm Beach to Weston.

The owner was looking for a solution for the construction of both access roads and tower pads over existing muck areas where excavation of weak soils was not permitted for a 15-mile portion of the 68-mile project. Access roads and transmission pads had to be built at-grade with finished elevations to withstand future flood events.


What is unique or complex about the project?

Due to the existing weak soils, geosynthetics were required to create a stable, working platform to reach finished elevation requirements for access roads and transmission pads. This was difficult because of limited access of equipment to allow hauling of aggregate. Mirafi® RS580i high strength geosynthetic provided a solution for construction expedience and stabilization of existing subgrade for construction. The subcontractor developed an off-site fabrication process to create wide panels of Mirafi® RS580i, and used their expertise with amphibious equipment for deploying the fabric panels to bridge over the existing muck, with crews working in waist-high water.


What were the results of the project?

The 15-mile portion of the 68-mile project was successfully constructed using Mirafi® RS580i high strength geosynthetics (>670,000 square yards). The advantages of creating larger sewn panels along with its integrated functions of filtration, separation, confinement, and reinforcement; RS580i was and is the optimum solution for construction in wetland areas for other transmission line projects. The success of this project will allow reliable transmission service for southeast Florida.


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