Aughwick Creek Direct Pipe

LocationMount Union, Pennsylvania
TimelineMay - June 2020
Construction
MethodsDirect Pipe®

Scope

Michels completed the 790 foot installation of a 42-inch steel pipeline for the Mariner East II project utilizing the Direct Pipe method. Direct Pipe combines a pipe thruster and tunneling machine, allowing a borehole to be created and pre-fabricated pipeline inserted in one continuous step.

The pipeline served as a conduit for a 16-inch product pipeline. The exit location of the pipe was in a 40-foot deep pit that allowed for machine retrieval and final tie-ins. Throughout the installation, crews experienced changing geological conditions from soft sandy clays to hard limestone and sand stone layers.

The project was performed in a rural environment with hills on both sides of the installation, which created geometry challenges during the design phase. The solution involved a trench at the entry to accommodate the pipe string, as well as a deep shaft at the exit location.

Michels completed the 790 foot installation of a 42-inch steel pipeline for the Mariner East II project utilizing the Direct Pipe method.
The solution involved a trench at the entry to accommodate the pipe string, as well as a deep shaft at the exit location.