The plan, pylon removal project developed created by Ofgem as well as National Grid’s Vision Impact Provision (VIP), was the first globally to replace the old overhead electricity transmission infrastructure that was in use since the 1960s solely to improve the landscape.
Paul Hamnett, senior project manager at National Grid, said: “This is the culmination of many years of challenging construction and engineering work that could not have been achieved without the hard work and dedication of the team on site and the perseverance from the community..
“Our goal has always been to enhance this beautiful landscape, and now we’re seeing the fruits of our labour with the fields we used for civil engineering works being reinstated and the successful removal of 8.8km of overhead cables and 22 pylons.”
BakerHicks offered a complete design and construction assistance to the principal contractor as well as their sister business, Morgan Sindall Infrastructure, and the cable provider, Nexans.
Underground burial of cables was the preferred option as it was felt that screening or concealing the towers wouldn’t have sufficient impact.
In order for an A35, a very busy main road, and a major trunk road to cross, BakerHicks’ engineers specified an ingenious horizontal drilling (HDD) method for removing the cables that run under the road.
This was a way to eliminate the requirement for diverting roads or temporary road networks to minimize the impact on local communities This was a major issue throughout the entire project.
The route of the cable system was planned to minimize the impacts on the archaeological biodiversity and treasures which include a range of endangered and rare flora.
The terrain along the South Dorset Ridgeway with its high inclines as well as rocky outcrops, presented an engineering challenge that was unique not only in the undergrounding of cables, pylon but also in the designing and construction of the infrastructure needed.
