Dow Barge Canal Direct Pipe

Michels Trenchless, Inc. used Direct Pipe® to complete a 4,038-foot installation of a 48-inch casing pipe under the Dow Barge Canal. The installation was a critical path and last piece needed for project completion. As such, the timeline was tight. To meet the deadline, Michels mobilized personnel to work around the clock.

The crossing was a critical path and last piece on a midstream pipeline supplying liquefied petroleum gases (LPG) to the petrochemical industry and heating markets.

The project was initially designed as a horizontal directional drill, but Michels suggested Direct Pipe® to address U.S. Army Corps of Engineers concerns about inadvertent release of drilling fluid and hydraulic fracturing. Direct Pipe® and a 48-inch casing pipe with the 6-inch natural gas line placed inside presented significantly lower risk of both. Because the project was originally designed as an HDD, that profile was already approved and permitted. Michels adhered to that profile to avoid substantial delays for redesigning and re-permitting. As a result, the path was considerably deeper than a typical Direct Pipe® alignment. The crossing consisted of an entry angle of 6 degrees vertically and an exit of 10 degrees vertically.

The alignment passed under several roads, a rail track and a flood control levee.