Omega Morgan Transports and Distributes 158,000 Pound Transformer Load to 500 PSF
Omega Morgan recently partnered with Wildish Building Company to upgrade an existing powerhouse for the Eugene Water & Electric Board (EWEB). The project was complicated and required the transportation of two transformers, as well as the removal and replacement of a powerhouse deck. As part of the project, Omega Morgan also designed and built a runway to distribute a 158,000 pound transformer and slide gear system load to 500 PSF. The Omega Morgan specialized transportation team in Portland moved quickly to help Wildish Building Company accomplish this job and delivered, putting two crews on the project to ensure a successful completion.
Omega Morgan needed to haul two transformers from Eugene, Oregon to the Carmen Power House, located on the McKenzie River in Linn County. The team loaded one transformer and hauled it 68 miles to site. Once at the site, they waited to cross the McKenzie River, until the EWEB Engineering staff could monitor the bridge crossing.
Before the load could start to cross the bridge, Wildish had to place a dump truck on the far side for counterweight. After the load progressed substantially across the bridge, another dump truck had to be placed at the opposite end, before the load cleared the bridge. Once the load crossed the bridge, the load was backed under an on-site gantry and we unloaded the transformer and then set it on a slide gear system that was already in place. A second crew began to jack and slide this transformer into place while the transportation crew went back for the second unit.
However, the most challenging part of the project was yet to come. Omega Morgan was also limited to a 500 PSF loading on the powerhouse deck. In order to comply with the limited deck loading, they designed and built a runway to distribute the 158,000 pound transformer load to 500 PSF, substantially lower than other allowable decks.
In the end, Omega Morgan was pleased to have navigated a compressed timeline and put two crews from the Portland office on the job to complete it in record time. Wildish Building Company was glad to have worked with the Omega Morgan team to complete this complex project.
Read more about the challenges Omega Morgan faced in reducing a 158,000 pound transformer and slide gear system to 500 PSF and how they completed this specialized project.
