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October 22, 2019 L.E. Myers’ Decatur District Takes Home 2019 NECA Project Excellence Award

DECATUR DISTRICT WINS FOR USING INNOVATION, ORIGINALITY ON DIFFICULT HIGH-VOLTAGE OVERHEAD TRANSMISSION PROJECT SPANNING THE MISSISSIPPI RIVER

Known as the premier event for the electrical construction industry, the National Electrical Contractors Association (NECA) hosted its 2019 annual convention September 14-17 in Las Vegas, NV.

During the four-day event, winners of NECA’s annual Project Excellence Awards were announced, and The L.E. Myers Co’s. (L.E. Myers) Decatur, Ill. district was recognized in the overhead transmission category for performance on the Venice to Campbell 138kV Mississippi River Crossing.

L.E. Myers’ Director of Field Operations Bryan Vorwaller accepted the award on behalf of the Decatur district.

“I was incredibly honored accept this award,” Vorwaller said. “It represents the exceptional work that NECA’s members perform throughout the United States, and we are humbled to be considered among the industry’s best and brightest.”

ACHIEVING A COMPLEX CROSSING

Completed in 2018, the Venice to Campbell 138kV Mississippi River Crossing was constructed south of the McKinley Bridge near St. Louis, Mo. The new 138kV double-circuit line spans half a mile across the river and provides additional and much-needed power to support the north St. Louis metropolitan area.

Among the highlights of the team’s project accomplishments:

  • Construction and erection of two 310-foot-tall lattice towers, one on each opposite bank of the river;
  • Installation of 2156 ACSR conductor and two OPGW shield wires; and
  • Installation of temporary and permanent lighting as mandated by the FAA.

The scope also encompassed removal of four old towers and a line that ran across the Terminal Railroad bridge.

The complexity and critical nature of this project required extremely detailed and thorough pre-planning and communication among all project stakeholders throughout every phase of construction. Never seen risks, safety hazards, unique conditions, and requirements required new ways of thinking, details of which were provided to NECA for consideration.

“There hasn’t been a river crossing like this in the St. Louis-area since 1987, said L.E. Myers’ Central Region Vice President Mike Mumm. “Despite the numerous challenges, dangerous nature, and many moving parts of this project, our outstanding field management, crews and subcontractors worked a total of 40,439.5 manhours with zero safety incidents and completed the project on-time and on-budget.”

The project team attributes its success not only to the levels and degrees of pre-planning and communication that were necessary, but also to their willingness and ability to integrate as a team and listen to proposed solutions. “Experienced leadership was also a key factor to success,” Mumm said. “Although team members experienced several issues not previously encountered, they leaned heavily on their experience and lessons learned to develop new plans and solutions.”

NECA 2019 Project Excellence Award recipients onstage Monday, September 16, 2019
Bryan Vorwaller (center) accepts the NECA 2019 Project Excellence Award. He is flanked by NECA CEO David Long (left) and NECA President and COO Larry Beltramo (right).

Read more about the 2019 Project Excellence Awards by clicking here.

Learn more about NECA by clicking here.

Project Details: Venice to Campbell 138kV Mississippi River Crossing