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October 22, 2019 Decatur District of L.E. Myers Wins NECA 2019 Project Excellence Award

DISTRICT RECOGNIZED FOR INNOVATION, ORIGINALITY DURING DIFFICULT HIGH VOLTAGE TRANSMISSION PROJECT CROSSING THE MISSISSIPPI 

Recognized as the premier event for the electrical construction industry, the National Electrical Contractors Association (NECA) hosted its 2019 annual convention September 14-17 in Las Vegas, Nevada. During the four-day event, winners of NECA’s 2019 Project Excellence Awards competition were announced. 

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The L.E. Myers Co’s. (L.E. Myers) Decatur, Ill. district was recognized in the overhead transmission category for performance on the Venice to Campbell 138kV Mississippi River Crossing Project. 

“I was incredibly honored to accept this award on behalf of the Decatur district,” said L.E. Myers’ Director of Field Operations Bryan Vorwaller. “It represents the exceptional work that NECA’s members perform throughout the United States, and we are humbled to be considered among the industry’s best and brightest.” 

About the Project

The project was completed in 2018 and constructed just south of the McKinley Bridge near St. Louis, Missouri. The new 138kV double circuit line spans half a mile across the river and provides additional and much needed power to support the north St. Louis metropolitan area. 

Tasks included construction and erection of two 310’ steel lattice towers, one on each opposite bank of the river; installation of 2156 ACSR conductor and two OPGW shield wires; and installation of both temporary and permanent lighting as mandated by the FAA. The scope also included the removal of four old towers and a line that ran across the Terminal Railroad bridge. 

The complexity and critical nature of this project required extremely detailed and thorough pre-planning and communication among all project stakeholders throughout every phase of construction. Never seen risks, safety hazards, unique conditions, and requirements required new ways of thinking, details of which were provided to NECA for consideration. 

“There hasn’t been a river crossing like this in the St. Louis-area since 1987. Despite the numerous challenges, dangerous nature, and many moving parts of this project, our outstanding field management, crews and subcontractors worked a total of 40,439.5 manhours with zero safety incidents and completed the project on-time and on-budget.”

– Mike Mumm, Central Region Vice President for L.E. Myers

L.E. Myers’ Central Region Vice President Mike Mumm said, “There hasn’t been a river crossing like this in the St. Louis-area since 1987. Despite the numerous challenges, dangerous nature, and many moving parts of this project, our outstanding field management, crews and subcontractors worked a total of 40,439.5 manhours with zero safety incidents and completed the project on-time and on-budget.” 

The project team attributed their success not only to the levels and degrees of pre-planning and communication that were necessary, but also to their willingness and ability to integrate as a team and listen to proposed solutions. 

“Experienced leadership was also a key factor to success,” Mumm added. “Although team members experienced several issues not previously encountered, they leaned heavily on their experience and lessons learned to develop new plans and solutions.” 

To view all the 2019 winners visit the NECA Project Excellence Awards website