Project Management Role

Project Management Role

Swan – Tyee Intertie Project

Swan-Tyee Intertie• Southeast Alaska• Tubular steel138 kV tie line• 57 miles in length.• The STI ties the hydro facilities of

Ketchikan, Petersburg and Wrangell together.

• Closest community – Ketchikan, 30 air miles from closest point

Difficulties Included• No roads, Helicopter access only• Rugged terrain, 4 long span crossings, spans over 3,490’ to 6,890’ in length• Weather: rain, snow, wind, fog

• High winds can cause shutdowns and fog which moves in and out quickly stops your helicopter supply line in its tracks.

• Helicopter shutdowns can leave field personnel stranded.• Short construction season

• Snow made it difficult to start before June• Storms and shorter day light hours markedly reduced productivity after mid-September

• Logistics: truck, barge, helicopter• Tubular steel was fabricated in PA, shipped by truck to Seattle, barged to Ketchikan.

Then assembled/barged and lifted into place by helicopter.

Camp at Shrimp Bay

Helicopters on the Barge

Erickson Air-Crane

A good day – only rain

Helicopters in the Fog

Steep Hillside Drilling

Materials all organized.

Towers on Barge

Another day at the office?

Brief History• Several Project Owners• Funding from several sources• Several Engineering Approaches• Clearing Started 2002• Foundations Started and Stopped 2004• Project Resurrected in 2007• Construction restarted 2008• Energized 2009• Required Focused Vision to Complete

Project Management Role

• Represent SEAPA’s Interest Onsite• Move the Project Forward• Keep Accurate Records• Provide Professional Advice

Project Management Service

• Myself as On-site Representative• A local hire Administrative Assistant –

invaluable • Off-site Assistant PM – ready to step in at a

moments notice. • Scheduling, design and construction specialist

available as needed

PM Primary Duties • A single point of contact for all involved entities:• Reviewed and recommended approval for payment of

invoices• Monitored budgets and schedules• Developed Cash Flow analysis• Provided reports to AEA to meet Grant obligations• Scheduled and chaired frequent project meetings

– Established Agenda– Issued Minutes– Identified critical issues early on

PM Primary Duties• A single point of contact for all involved entities:

– Owner: Southeast Alaska Power Agency (SEAPA)– Engineer/Construction Manager: Dryden & LaRue– Contractor: Wilson Construction– Foundation Subcontractor: Crux Subsurface– Clearing Contractor: Columbia Helicopter– Environmental Monitor: Tetra Tech EC– Primary Permitting Agency: USFS– Steel Pole Supplier: Valmont Industries– Conductor Supplier: APAR Industries– Many other material and service providers

Other Less Obvious Duties

• Assisted with travel arrangements for Off-site visits by Others

• Arranged local PR events• Coordinate public dissemination of project:

– Newspapers– Radio

• Became part of the community

Approach and Emphasis• Primary Emphasis was on:

– Fostering good communication between ALL parties - keep everyone talking and resolving issues before they impacted the Project

• Communication is important – Listening is an important part of communication

Successful Project

One that is: Constructed safely, on schedule, within budget, and

with high quality that meets all permit, regulatory and code requirements.

This project met the goals:– Particularly proud that their were No Significant Accidents

Was it Luck?

• Luck is Created Through Dedication and Hard Work

I believe the success of the project was because everyone had a common vision and worked towards a common goal. This starts with the Owner and it was our job as Project Manager to keep the Owners vision alive through out the project. This was done through good open and honest communication.