The trek to the 6,500-foot summit of the Pedregosa Mountains in Arizona boasts a 1,700-foot elevation gain and takes at least four hours by foot, less by mule.
But if you’re tasked with replacing the summit’s aging electric infrastructure, and you’re under time constraints because it serves a critical communications load, you can’t exactly lug dozens of fiberglass poles, spools of copper wire and jackhammers by foot or on the backs of mules to the top of a mountain.
Facing federal requirements to replace the San Bernardino Line’s original copper wire, Sulphur Springs Valley Electric Cooperative and electric construction firm National Powerline chartered helicopters to airlift crews and equipment to the worksite, first accessed by the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers nearly 90 years ago as part of the Second New Deal.
“It’s really amazing that when this line was put in place, they needed to use mules to get the materials to the top of the mountain,” said Jorge Garcia, operations manager at Willcox-based SSVEC and a member of the replacement crew.
The three-week job turned into a six-week job because the crews needed jackhammers to blast through rock to set the poles.
“They didn’t anticipate as much rock as they encountered, so they flew a compressor up to the top of the mountain so they could power a jackhammer,” said Eric Petermann, the co-op’s public relations manager. “But even with the jackhammer, it was hard to dig out the six-foot holes needed.”
Cochise County Sheriff Mark Dannels appreciated the crews’ extra efforts to get the job done, because the area’s public safety system depends on the site’s two communications towers and airway beacon.
“We have one of the most robust systems in Arizona, providing services to agencies beyond just the sheriff’s department, so it’s vital that we maintain its operation,” Dannels said. “Also, because this is such a remote area, being able to assure that our deputies and first responders have a strong signal, no matter where they are, is an absolute priority for public safety.”
Petermann said crews braved helicopter rides of about 100 feet over the job site.
“That was a thrill ride,” said Richie Ellis, SSVEC journeyman lineman. “You’re outside the helicopter dangling at the end of a long line, but at least the view was spectacular!”
Victoria A. Rocha is a staff writer for NRECA.