Baileysville-Bolt ROW Clearing

Phillips' scope of work included clearing new ROW to AEP’s specifications and special conditions as directed by the EPC Services. In addition, Phillips provided clearing support for the access road subcontractor in steep areas that required technical tree felling. The line predominantly crossed mountainous-forested terrain. Small valleys and ridgelines along the line route ranged in elevation from 1,150 ft to 2,600 ft. The line also crossed the Guyandotte River at three locations along the alignment and under the Jackson Ferry –Wyoming 765 kV line and the Baileysville–Itmann 138 kV line. The highest elevation along the line was approximately ½ mile south of Poplar Gap Station. 

The existing and aging transmission lines, built in the early to mid-1900s, were often constructed with straight alignments and on steep side slopes using mule teams and by hand, with no or limited heavy equipment. Today, this method is impractical and unsafe in steep terrain. Additionally, modern transmission structures and conductors are larger and heavier in size. Therefore, heavy equipment (such as cranes), crane pads, and access roads are required, often resulting in land slips, slides, and environmental risks. During siting for rebuild and upgrade projects, the Owner evaluated the existing alignments to determine if reroutes were needed off the steep side-slopes due to constructability issues. During siting for new routes, constructability (for example, access roads) was considered early and throughout route development. Access roads in mountainous areas generally average twice the line length of the transmission line.