Overview

SUNY Oneonta is a public university with a campus spanning over 250-acres and consisting of over 36 buildings. The project upgraded the campus’s medium-voltage electrical feeder system increasing the network’s reliability and capacity. Delivered through a design-build approach, LiRo-Hill provided electrical and civil engineering design services as a subconsultant to EJ Electric.

About the Project

The project’s primary objective was to replace five existing 5kV feeders with five new 15kV feeders. Replacing the existing underground electrical feeder system required the installation of new conduit, duct banks, and related equipment through open trench cuts across the campus. Major system upgrades also included the installation of new transformers, switchgears, and other components needed to power the campus.

LiRo-Hill prepared the required electrical and civil design plans. Electrical drawings included the routing of electrical lines, duct bank cross sections, and line diagrams. Civil design focused on optimizing the horizontal and vertical alignment of the new duct banks. Civil drawings also showed the relocation of utilities and the restoration of the site following construction.

Project Challenges & Solutions

The campus needed to remain fully operational throughout construction, with disruptions kept to a minimum. LiRo-Hill worked closely with campus facilities and EJ Electric to phase the work in stages, reducing impacts on campus operations, traffic flow, and the contractor’s activities.

The team evaluated related electrical equipment to determine which existing building switches and transformers should be replaced. Existing transformers and switchgears were in interior building rooms, and the voltage upgrades had to meet updated setback and code requirements. The design-build delivery method allowed close collaboration with EJ Electric and equipment suppliers to identify switches and transformers with smaller footprints that could fit within the available space. Some doorway modifications were required to make the new interior layout work, and for one building, the transformer was relocated outdoors as an alternative solution.

EJ Electric was able to thoroughly inspect and test all the existing conduits, revealing that a portion of the existing conduits and duct banks could be re-used and eliminated from the scope. This change expedited the schedule and reduced the impact on the University.

Outcome

Collaboration and proactive planning facilitated the smooth installation of the new duct banks and electrical infrastructure. By using a design-build delivery method, the team benefited from contractor expertise during design and timely solutions to construction challenges as they emerged.