12 kV Primary Electrical Damage Emergency Call Out

Project Description:  Under a multiyear maintenance and on-call emergency contract, W.A. Rasic Construction responded to an emergency related to damage to a 12 kV primary electrical duct bank and associated cables at 10:00 p.m. A contractor working in the area penetrated the duct bank with an excavation machine and damaged multiple 12 kV electrical cables, shutting down the circuit and creating an area outage in Compton. Working around the clock and in conjunction with the client’s line crew over a five-day period, W.A. Rasic Construction hand excavated a 50-foot section of damaged duct bank, chipping away the concrete encasement that housed the conduits with pneumatic equipment to fully expose the conduits. The duct bank contained multiple conduits, some of which were not damaged and still live, so great care was taken throughout the process to ensure team member safety and no further interruption in service to consumers. The client’s crews removed the damaged cables and W.A. Rasic Construction crews repaired the conduits, poured concrete encasement around the conduits, and backfilled them. In conjunction with our efforts, the client’s crews pulled in multiple 1,000-foot cable runs, terminated cables, tested, and energized the system. The final work element was completing the asphalt restoration.