Nolte Receives Top Honor for Energy Project

The 30th Street 20a Transmission Undergrounding project has won the 2009 Outstanding Energy Project award from the American Society of Civil Engineers (ASCE) Region 9.

Presented to Nolte Associates, Inc., project surveyor and engineer; San Diego Gas & Electric, electrical engineer, construction administrator, and transmission line owner; and the City of San Diego, project owner, the award recognizes the demonstrated achievement of the project team.

The 30th Street 20a Transmission Undergrounding project undergrounded a 20,304 foot-long overhead electric transmission line--the largest utility undergrounding in the history of San Diego--yielding a safer, more reliable energy source. The project also enabled an elementary school, previously closed due to electromagnet field risks associated with the overhead line, to reopen. Working under an aggressive schedule established by the California Public Utilities Commission, the project team successfully engineered an alignment through utility congested streets and through a bridge. The highest voltage transmission (138kV) ever converted from overhead to underground in San Diego, this project was delivered on time and $4 million under the estimated budget.

The project awards were presented on February 9 at the ASCE Awards Banquet in Sacramento, California. The award program recognizes projects throughout California that showcase the contributions of civil engineering.