A Multi-Decade Partnership Hardening Florida’s
Distribution Grid Against Storms
Pike supports an Overhead Hardening and Undergrounding Program, a multi-decade initiative focused on hardening feeders and undergrounding lateral lines and services statewide to improve reliability and upgrade infrastructure. The program has focused efforts on strengthening distribution feeders to withstand wind speeds up to 145 mph. Key components of the program include reducing span distances between poles and strategically replacing existing poles with more resilient wood or concrete poles to improve storm resiliency.
Pike’s scopes of work have included pole replacement, vegetation management, and smart switch installation. Specifically, Pike Engineering confirmed mapping data, designed poles to meet new requirements, created feeder level design work order packages, acquired permits, and provided construction support. As a result, Pike Engineering designed 243 feeders, consisting of 20,802 pole replacements, 348 intellirupter installations, and 270 miles of reconductor. Over the last decade, Pike has been responsible for over 100,000 pole replacements, hardening over 10,000 feeder miles.
In support of the program Pike provides a design-build solution that includes engineering, customer outreach, right-of-way acquisition, permitting, material management, construction, and construction management. Pike has engineered over 330 miles and constructed over 70 miles of overhead to underground conversions. Since March 2019, Pike has also acquired 22,235 easements and 65,817 connection agreements with the utility.
15+ years of partnership with the customer
At peak, Pike had over 1,000 construction and 100 engineering resources supporting these initiatives
Strengthened distribution feeders to withstand wind speeds up to 145 mph
Engineered over 330 miles and constructed over 70 miles of overhead to underground conversions
