2 MIN READ

Overview summary

  • 24-hour turnaround for initial transmission line design
  • 30-day rebuild of 6.5-mile transmission area
  • 18 days saved on the transmission rebuild schedule
  • 1,500 people with power restored

Location: Springfield, MO

Toth and Associates, Inc.

Rebuilding a storm-damaged transmission line faster

Established in 2003 and headquartered in Springfield, MO, Toth and Associates, Inc. is a full-service consulting engineering firm serving clients across the United States. After a major storm with winds exceeding 100 miles per hour destroyed 120 transmission poles, Toth was engaged by Prairie Power Incorporated to accelerate transmission line design and rebuild a 60-year-old system across a 6.5-mile corridor in Illinois. Using PLS-CADD and updated field reports, the team streamlined design revisions to support faster, safer power restoration.

Key Takeaways

  • 24-hour turnaround for initial transmission line design
  • 30-day rebuild of 6.5-mile transmission area
  • 18 days saved on the transmission rebuild schedule
  • 1,500 people with power restored

Flexible digital design

Toth and their utility partners worked under an aggressive timeline to rapidly develop plans for a safe and efficient electrical line rebuild. Emerging supply and delivery constraints forced the design team to repeatedly respot, respan, and realign the design based on material availability. Using Bentley’s PLS-CADD, the team created, tested, and refined the design to guide construction, allowing teams to complete reconstruction and restore power to 1,500 homes 30 days after the storm.

Solutions

Real-time coordination across project teams

Engineers, field workers, construction teams, and regulators worked together in real-time to redesign the storm-damaged transmission line while maintaining safety and reliability requirements.

Faster transmission design decisions

PLS-CADD’s automated design functions sped up optimization, bidding, material sourcing, and construction phases—with a project completion 30 days after the storm and 18 days ahead of schedule.

Rapid Response

Using PLS-CADD, Toth and their colleagues quickly developed a digital model for the safe and efficient replacement of the electrical line, with initial design completed a day after the storm.

This restoration project demonstrates what can be accomplished when expertise, innovation, determination, and the right tools come together to serve a community in need.

– Luke Snow, PE Engineering Manager, Toth and Associates