Basics:

Wind farms tend to be large.  As a result, roads need to be built for easy access to all the turbines during any weather condition.  Normally, due to heavy equipment accessability requirements, all roads must be constructed with a minimum 12' width.

Based on your survey and plot plan specification, Advanced Development Services, Inc. will perform various types of grading on the entire project site. No matter how big or small your plans are, we are ready to offer our grading, cut and fill, hauling, and/or compacting services, all year round!

Primary Access Roads:

Existing and new access roads need to support the transport of heavy turbine tower sections, the 70-ton nacelles and the 144 foot blades. The access roads will be built as gravel roads, with 12-20 foot travel surfaces, 2 to 4 foot shoulders, load-carrying capacity of 90-100 tons, and vegetation cleared to 14 feet minimum, from centerline. 

Mountaintop Roads:

If applicable to your project, mountaintop roads connecting turbine sites must carry the same heavy loads as access roads, but must also be broad enough for transporting the 32-foot-wide heavy-lift erection crane. 

The crane will be brought to the site, disassembled, and will be re-assembled near the first turbine pad.  The crane will then travel from one site to the next as each turbine site is ready.    The mountaintop roads connecting turbine sites will also be built as gravel roads, with the same 90-100 ton load-carrying capacity, but with 32-foot travel surfaces to allow safe movement of the turbine assembly crane.

After construction, the road traveling surface will be reduced to a width of 12 feet by mulching and seeding beyond that width, and allowing it to revegetate.

Power Line Construction Access Roads:

Initial access to the corridor will be required for a several mile long 115kV power line. This will be needed on your project from the substation,  to the middle and at either end, via new extensions built onto existing roads.  A.D.S. utilizes multiple access points to enable multiple construction crews to work concurrently; this way, we will eliminate stream crossings. These road extensions will match the existing roads used today for logging operations. The extensions could be gravel roads, with 12-foot travel surfaces, and vegetation cleared to 10 feet from centerline. 

Internal Corridor ATV Access Roads:

Within the corridors of the 115kV and 34.5kV power lines, minimum-width all-terrain skidder trails must be constructed. This is so all-terrain vehicles can travel the corridor to clear land, install electrical pole lines, and perform post-construction inspection and maintenance.  

All-terrain trails are built as minimal forest mountain roads, with/without gravel, with 10-foot travel surfaces, and vegetation cleared to 10 feet from centerline.

Existing access roads include a number of bridges that need to be repaired or reinforced. All existing bridges must be inspected, and the upgrades required must be described in the subsequent report submitted for permitting.