Keeley Civil Spotlight: Metro South Reliability Program

Keeley Construction was called upon by a long-time customer to assist with the replacement of existing lattice towers for monopoles in anticipation of upgraded infrastructure, as part of the Metro South Reliability Program (MSRP). The Keeley Energy team self-performed the placement of 148 drilled shaft foundations from Shrewsbury, MO to Cahokia, IL, crossing over the Mississippi River.

The Metro South Reliability Program is a significant investment for the St. Louis region. This program was implemented in preparation for the Meramec Energy Center’s retirement, helping fulfill the client’s commitment to provide clean, affordable, and reliable energy to our communities. The MSRP constructed nearly 40 project assets as part of the program. Some of these major projects that Keeley constructed consisted of Meramec Switchyard Upgrade, Meramec +/-250mVar STATCOM, transmission line foundations for the segments of the 138kV lines from Watson to Mackenzie, Mackenzie to Lemay, Lemay to the Mississippi River, and a double circuit 138kV River Crossing (located in the one of the highest river traffic areas along the Mississippi).

Construction spanned over the course of four years, so there were some challenges that the team had to overcome. These challenges included working through a multi-year real estate negotiation, construction in compacted utility and railroad corridors, coordination with local residents and governing authorities, program schedule shifts, and outage coordination between all parties involved. Through Keeley’s strategic planning and constant communications, innovative solutions were put in place to overcome these challenges, keep project running smoothly, and achieve ZERO safety incidents.

The Metro South Reliability Program was originally scheduled to be completed on December 1, 2022. The Keeley Energy Team, through their self-perform expertise and experience in the industry, delivered the project six months ahead of schedule, allowing MSRP to be fully in-service on May 25, 2022.

"This major investment in energy infrastructure provides great value to our customers by increasing energy supply capacity, incorporating smart technology and improving reliability, all while bringing cleaner energy sources to homes and businesses. By bolstering the grid with needed upgrades, this project also enables a seamless transition for customers as we retire the Meramec Energy Center at the end of this year."

-Client’s Project Manager

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