Birds Landing 230-kV Transmission Line Upgrade

As part of the 1.5-mile Birds Landing 230-kV Transmission Line Upgrade project in Rio Vista, CA, Michels Pacific Energy crews prepared the site, installed new tower foundations, pulled conductor and static wires into place, installed a temporary bridge, and built four new lattice steel towers—before taking down four old ones.

The four towers, two located on each side of the Sacramento River, posed the biggest challenges on the double-circuit project. The two new towers closest to the river soar to more than 550 feet, among the tallest power structures west of the Mississippi River.

Due to the adjacent riverbed and levees amid a large wind farm, construction of the new and removal of the old towers required technically precise planning and execution. The water-logged ground was studied and monitored to make sure it could handle the weight of the structures and massive crane used to build them. A helicopter-based crew also supported construction.

Removing the two 450-ft-tall towers next to the river proved as difficult as building new ones. Due to the structures’ height, weight, and environmentally sensitive locations, cranes could not be used to take the towers down. Instead, carefully planned and engineered implosions were designed to topple the towers onto protective blankets.  After years of planning, permitting, and preparations, the towers were felled over a three-day period with each series of blasts taking the structures down in less than 30 seconds with no injuries, incidents, or environmental impact.

Michels’ work on this project earned a 2025 Engineering News-Record Regional Best Project Award of Merit.