News

MDOT recently awarded Reed & Reed the $13.75mm contract to replace the West Approach Bridge in Bath. The viaduct bridge carries RT 1 traffic through Bath onto the Sagadahoc Bridge over the Kennebec River.

The project has complex traffic challenges, being adjacent to downtown Bath and Bath Iron Works. In order to limit traffic impacts, MDOT has allowed the viaduct to be closed to RT 1 thru-traffic from October 18 to May 25.  Traffic will be detoured to the Leeman Highway Frontage Roads, below the viaduct, during this time period.

On-site work this summer includes installation of new drainage on the Frontage Road, replacement of the Washington St railroad crossing and rehabilitation of the South Abutment. Reed & Reed crews will also be precasting concrete pier caps at our Woolwich dockyard.

Work during the closure includes demolition of the 1200 LF viaduct superstructure and 19 pier shafts. 19 new cast-in-place concrete pier shafts will be constructed on the existing footings.  Precast concrete pier caps, weighing 60 tons, will be erected and grouted in place.  The new superstructure consists of 80 precast concrete NEXT beams, weighing 50 tons each.  Closures between the NEXT beams will be made using Ultra-High-Performance  Concrete, with strengths of 20,000 PSI.  The wearing surface will be membrane and pavement.  The bridge rail will be steel rail, similar to the Sagadahoc Bridge.

Reed & Reed crews will be working day and night during the closure period to complete the work. MDOT has heavy monetary bonus and penalty incentives to assure the work is completed on schedule.  The new viaduct must be open to traffic by May 25 and the project complete by June 30, 2017.

Reed & Reed is currently building the 56.1 mw project located in Downeast Maine for SunEdison and Novatus. Site work is well underway, all 17 spread foundations are complete, collector work and substation activities are also nearing completion.

Turbine deliveries began in early May and turbine erection is underway.. The V-117 Vestas turbines each produce 3.3 mw and sit on 116.5 meter towers.  These are the largest turbines in The Americas, both in terms of rotor diameter (384 feet) and tower height (382 feet).  In order to erect these mammoth turbines Reed & Reed acquired the largest crawler crane in New England, a brand new Manitowoc MLC 650 VPC-MAX, capable of lifting up to 772 tons.

In terms of challenges, not only are the turbines larger than most, site development restrictions mean Reed & Reed must breakdown and reassemble its cranes, including the giant MLC650 (45 tractor-trailer loads), seven times on the project.

All work is on schedule and a fall 2016 completion is planned.

Work is well underway at New England’s largest wind power project in Bingham, Maine. EPC contractor Reed & Reed is building the 56 turbine 185 mw project for Sun Edison and the scope includes sitework, collector system, 56 concrete foundations, project substation, 18 miles of 115 kva transmission line and erection of the 56 Vestas V-112 3.3 mw turbines on 94 meter (308 ft) towers.

Turbine deliveries began in fall 2015 and Reed & Reed began erecting turbines at that time. The project is divided into two areas, with 36 turbines located North of Route 16 and 20 turbines to the South.  Reed & Reed has two top out crews working with its two Manitowoc M16000 cranes with special boom raising systems (BRS) to erect the taller towers.

Turbine deliveries were suspended for up to 8 weeks in the spring due to posted roads during mud season.   With this in mind, Reed & Reed managed and in fact accelerated delivery of a large percentage of the project’s turbines during the winter months to allow erection to continue throughout ‘mud season’.

Reed & Reed and its team of highly skilled subcontractors is on schedule for a safe, early completion in fall, 2016.

On a brisk morning in early December 2014 U.S. Senator Susan Collins, Governor Paul Lepage, Reed & Reed President Jackson Parker and other dignitaries joined several hundred townspeople to celebrate opening of the new bridge over the Kennebec River.  The seven-span bridge stretches 1478 feet and soars some 90 feet above the water.

Reed & Reed began work in July 2013 and despite a harsh winter completed the new structure 6 months ahead of schedule. Working from deck barges, our crews installed steel sheetpile cofferdams for the six river piers, constructed the concrete hammerhead piers, erected more than 1100 tons of structural steel beams and placed the entire concrete bridge deck.

The contract also calls for demolition of the existing five-span steel truss bridge superstructure, bridge piers and abutments and other miscellaneous work.  The old center span rotates open to accommodate passage of marine traffic and sits on a large concrete pier structure that Reed & Reed crews will remove as well.

Reed & Reed opened the bridge in the summer of 2015 and complete all contract work some six months ahead of schedule.

The Oakfield, Maine wind power project achieved COD right on schedule in fall 2015 despite the unusually harsh 2015 Maine winter. At 148 mw, this project eclipses the 132 mw Kibby, Maine Wind Power project, also built by Reed & Reed, as New England’s largest wind power project.

Major project elements in Reed & Reed’s contract included expanding the Keane Road substation in Chester, constructing a 58 mile 115kv transmission line, building 48 wind turbine foundations, installing electrical collector systems, a new project substation, O&M building and of course erection of the 48 Vestas V-112 wind turbines.

The 58 mile 115kv transmission line connecting the Oakfield collector substation to the Keene Road substation expansion was energized in May 2015.

The project’s collector, collector substation, synchronous condenser and O&M building installations, with circuits being energized sequentially to facilitating turbine commissioning, were all completed on time and under budget.

Reed & Reed is proud to have completed this project safely, on time and under budget with its Maine-based workforce.

Reed & Reed has completed the 34 mw Saddleback Ridge Wind Project in the western Maine town of Dixfield for Patriot Renewables. The work included erection of 12 General Electric 2.85 MW WTG’s on new 85 meter “modular” towers.  This tower design permits barrel section substitutions to adjust the overall height to better fit specific siting conditions.  The turbines also included a new improved GE design in tower wiring.  The turbines are supported on circular Barr-design rock anchor foundations.

Reed & Reed’s work on the project included the construction of foundations, WTG erection, tower wiring, an overhead and underground electrical collector system, WTG grounding in accordance with GE requirements, the construction of a new substation, and 8 miles of transmission line.

Turbine erection was spread over the 2014 and 2015 seasons with COD achieved in the fall, 2015.  Steep grades on the site and especially small turbine pads presented challenges during turbine delivery and erection but Reed & Reed crews easily rose to the occasion.

GE Enables More Wind on New England’s Transmission Network

• First Wind’s Oakfield Wind Project to Generate 148 MW; Enough to Power 50K Homes
• GE’s Synchronous Condenser Solution to Improve Power Stability
• GE’s Energy Management Team Provides Custom Analysis and Tailored Solutions

PARIS, FRANCE – August 25, 2014 – While the integration of wind energy continues to have broad public policy support consumers are playing a larger role to ensure their electricity provider is using higher levels of renewable power to meet their clean energy expectations.  To address the growing demand, GE’s Digital Energy business today announced that its Synchronous Condenser technology will be used in First Wind’s Oakfield wind farm in northern Maine to support the public’s demand for wind energy.

“The Oakfield project is moving forward, bringing economic development to Aroostook County and will soon be delivering renewable power to New England homes.  We have worked closely with Reed & Reed, Inc., our BOP Contractor, and GE’s Energy Management team on this, and they’ve provided us custom engineering analysis and technology solutions to build a power network that conforms to the region’s unique requirements and optimizes the grid’s existing infrastructure,” said Michael Alvarez, President of First Wind. “The technology that will be installed at Oakfield will better help us deliver clean energy to the region and support its renewable energy targets.”

Synchronous Condensers increase the grids strength and improve the voltage stability, allowing a wind turbine to operate in an otherwise weak grid.  GE’s synchronous condenser systems are custom designed to provide transmission operators with a proven and reliable solution. This allows utilities to deliver the promise of clean energy to their customers.

“In the US and around the globe transmission grids are being linked to support the expansion of renewable energy.  First Wind is an example of a power provider that is using state of the art technology and strategies to ensure their wind farm is delivering optimal power to their customers,” said Bob Turko, General Manager, GE Digital Energy. “To support the continued success of wind and solar power, we are providing the renewable industry with electrical solutions to ensure the grid is resilient enough to anticipate and withstand power fluctuations, and recover from damage incurred during storms and other major events.”

The Oakfield wind farm will be completed in the fourth quarter of 2015.

GE’s Digital Energy business is a global leader in transmission and distribution solutions that manage and move power from the power plant to the consumer. Its products and services increase the reliability of electrical power networks and critical equipment for utility, industrial and large commercial customers. From protecting and optimizing assets such as generators, transmission lines and motors, to delivering analytic tools to help manage the power grid, GE’s Digital Energy business delivers industry-leading technologies to solve the unique challenges of each customer. For more information, visit http://www.gedigitalenergy.com/.