VIDEO: NessCampbell Transports 445,000-Lb. Seattle City Light
Wed March 22, 2023 - West Edition #7 Construction Equipment Guide
NessCampbell Crane + Rigging, an established crane and rigging company based in Portland and Seattle, was recently tasked with the transportation of a transformer for Seattle City Light. The customer couldn't ship the transformer directly to Seattle by railroad. Instead, it was shipped via railroad to Vancouver, Wash., and NessCampbell took it from there.
The transformer weighed an enormous 445,000 lbs. and was 185 ft. in length, 16-ft. wide and 16ft., 8-in. tall, making it a complex and challenging transportation project.
NessCampbell used its custom Lane Loader dual lane trailer specially designed for hauls like this, along with two semi trucks on both ends.
The transportation project required extensive planning and coordination with various state and city entities, including Seattle Metro, to ensure the safety of the public and the successful delivery of the transformer. Due to height restrictions and other limitations, the transportation route took four days to complete.
The project involved a complex de-energizing plan to ensure there was no power in the trolley lines that the transformer passed under. Seattle Metro crews accompanied the convoy, pushing up trolley lines that the convoy was unable to pass under without coming in contact with them.
Moreover, the transportation team had to manage over 100 no-parking areas to safely maneuver the route. They had to implement a complete street closure around the clock to ensure that homeowners could access their homes safely while the team worked to deliver the transformer.
The team successfully completed the project within two days of direct impact on the site, after nearly six months of planning.
The transportation convoy consisted of a team of highly skilled professionals, including three SDOT troopers, two Metro service crews, two sign and signal crews, two Seattle City Light crews, six traffic control crews, four oversize pilots cars, four man support crews, one superintendent and one project manager. Coordination with five counties in Washington (Clark, Cowlitz, Lewis, Thurston and Pierce) and the city of Portland was necessary for the project to be successful.
The transportation team worked with the Washington State Highway Patrol to provide a trooper escort from the Pierce and King County line to the point where the transformer exited WSDOT right-of-way at I-5 and MLK Way.
In Cowlitz County, the transportation team had to locate and hire an outside engineer to complete an analysis of the transporter to cross the Lexington Bridge over the Cowlitz River in Kelso, Wash. Time was crucial and they had less than a month and a half to the scheduled transport date.
The team reached out to several engineering firms, but most were not able to meet their deadline due to the short time frame and their current workload. They eventually hired a fourth engineering firm from Corvallis, Ore., which completed the work within the specified timeframe and within budget. However, about two weeks into the analysis, they received a notice from Cowlitz County that they had re-rated the bridge and issued new load ratings.
The transportation team immediately reached out to the engineering firm they hired and the engineer worked with the county engineer to discuss the new ratings and their impact on the analysis. The analysis concluded that the lower ratings were not enough to cause the transport combination to fail.
The success of a large transportation project like this one requires extensive planning, meticulous communication and coordination between all parties involved. NessCampbell Crane + Rigging's specialized haul team had to work with various state and city entities and hire outside engineers to complete the project successfully. The team's experience demonstrated that large transportation moves could not happen without the support and cooperation of city and county-level authorities. The successful transportation of the 445,000-lbs. transformer was a testament to the team's dedication and hard work. CEG
