Keeley Civil Spotlight: Full Ring Bus & T-Line

Keeley Construction’s Civil Energy Group was called upon by a decades-long trusted partner to build the Fuller Substation and T-Line in Brussels, IL. This 12.2 acre greenfield substation consisted of 104 foundations and five large diameter T-Line foundations. Due to Keeley’s extensive pre-planning and dedication to safety, quality and service, this project was completed on-time and on-budget.

The Substation portion of this project required the team to balance the 25,000+ CY of dirt onsite and bring in additional fill to build the pad before installing various drainage systems for stormwater runoff. Once this was complete, the team went on to place 800+ CY of concrete foundation, 1,300+ feet of fencing, and 4,000+ tons of rock to complete the substation civil package.

The T-Line portion of this project consisted of large diameter deep foundations placed under an outage of the 138kV Transmission Line, the largest being 12’ diameter x 52’ depth. The sizes and subsurface conditions of these foundations was a known challenge when Keeley bid the project, but the team was able to implement innovative solutions to defeat this challenge and plan to provide a high-quality product. The team then encountered unknown subsurface coals layers that brought additional challenges after drilling began as it consumed much of the slurry fluids during drilling and required twice the amount of water than was anticipated. The team was able to work with the Client’s Engineer to quickly come up with an adjustment in their approach, allowing the team to complete the foundation safely and to the highest quality standards. Keeley’s ability to self-perform 100% of the project allowed for adaptability to the changing site conditions and the complete satisfaction from the Client.

“The Keeley crews did a phenomenal job getting the work done in a tight window without extending the outage. They worked safely without incident and completed the scope despite some unforeseen complications.”

-Client’s Construction Supervisor

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