BPA and Tacoma Public Utilities recently celebrated completion of Tacoma Power’s Tacoma Narrows transmission line. Rebuilding the line, which was originally built 81 years ago, was a challenging project. One of the longest crossings in the world, the 6,240 foot long line extends the length of the Tacoma Narrows. The original all steel conductors were replaced with aluminum conductor, steel reinforced. To construct the crossing, Tacoma Power and BPA combined efforts. Tacoma Power paid $4 million of the $16 million cost, and BPA paid the remainder. “This project is a successful example of BPA and Tacoma Power partnering on transmission infrastructure projects to improve service to the people of the Pacific Northwest,” said Mark Gendron, BPA vice president of requirements marketing. The Tacoma Narrows crossing provides power to BPA customers on the Key and Kitsap peninsulas. The design-build contrctor was Shaw Energy Delivery Services.
