Palmetto Traction Power Substation
CHA answered the call when Miami-Dade Transit (MDT) needed a new Traction Power Substation (TPSS) to enhance current Metrorail operations performance and support the new Metrorail vehicles. The proposed substation will be located on MDT property adjacent to the Palmetto Metrorail Station and will support all traction power requirements between the Palmetto and Okeechobee Station.
CHA’s role in this design-build project included all design services, on- and off-site work, equipment, materials, and labor to construct, test, and commission a fully operational facility in compliance with MDT requirements. A single-story building, comprised of concrete masonry unit (CMU) walls and a double tee roof system, was designed to house the electrical equipment. Due to poor soil conditions encountered during the subsurface investigation, the building was supported with auger cast piles, and the proposed floor slab was designed in conjunction with a monolithic grid of grade beams to support heavy-duty and highly sensitive electrical equipment. Our design included using reinforced concrete trenches wrapped in filter fabric for installing numerous duct banks.