At New River Electrical, there’s no challenge too great. From minor facility upgrades to major rebuilds, we’ve built an incredible team, capable of exceeding our customer’s expectations.
Since Spring 2021, our Overhead Transmission and Distribution crews have been rebuilding the 99-year-old Dearington-Reusens double circuit transmission line in Lynchburg, Virginia. This has been a very complex project and the entire project team has risen to the challenge.
“Getting this line rebuilt is an undertaking. We’ve been expanding our presence in the region, and this project’s success is another great milestone” says Rob Switzer, Project Manager at New River Electrical.
Broken down into four phases (currently in phase 2), the successful completion of this rebuild will improve the reliability and sustainability of power for the utility and its local customers.
1.7 Miles of Challenge
“Almost every obstacle you could come up with on a transmission project was packed into 1.7 miles,” says Switzer.
Challenges are expected on every project, and this project has experienced more than its fair share. We faced supply chain issues, COVID, multiple railroad crossings, and incredibly difficult rock excavation. But in true NRE fashion, we navigated these challenges and finished the project on schedule.
“It took extra hours, extra guys, and a lot of coordination, but our crews hit it hard to get the line in service,” Switzer says.
Safely Overcoming The Challenges
Even with looming challenges, our commitment to safety never wavered.
“Communication is key on any project and especially this one. The coordination and planning were essential to safely executing this project,” says Switzer.
Our work spanned 1.7 miles over rough terrain, through city streets, and across railroad tracks in an active urban area. The changing work environments required our guys – from our project managers to our line crews – to efficiently execute our work in tight schedule windows without compromising safety.
“We focused heavily on keeping the public safe while also maintaining the safety of our crews. Setting structures, moving equipment, and stringing the wire took consistent coordination between our crews, the City of Lynchburg, property owners, railroads, and the utility to ensure the successful execution of our work,” says Switzer.
Leaders like Switzer emphasize our trusted safety culture by echoing that safety is not just a slogan but a culture we live every day at New River.
The Value of The Team
Our guys are professionals; they are the best at what they do. We value them and ensure that they have the tools, training, and experience needed to safely execute projects like Dearington-Reusens.
“As a project manager, my goal is to ensure our crews have everything they need to do their job safely and efficiently. I look at leadership as being a servant,” says Switzer.
When asked about who made this project possible, Switzer praised his guys in the field doing the difficult work, as well as our General Foreman, Orrin Fix. “I can’t give enough credit to our crews and field leadership. This project would not have been successful without them.”
A Powerful Differentiator
At New River Electrical, we aren’t held back by challenges. That’s because there is a company-wide support system willing to provide comprehensive services to our teams in the field and our customers at large on every project.
For the rest of our work with Dearington-Reusen and projects beyond, we’ve got each other’s backs.
