On November 21, 2015, Michels used horizontal directional drilling (HDD) to drill beneath the Athabasca River and completed an HDD milestone—an installation of a 42-inch 7,200-foot (2,195 meters) crossing near Fort MacKay, about one hour north of Fort McMurray, Alberta. The 1.36 miles (2,195 m) of 42-inch pipe is a new record for Michels and the longest in North America. Working 24 hours per day with two crews of 16 people per shift, the final pipe pull took 36 hours to complete. Additional to the HDD crew, Michels provided pipe support using 10 cranes, 5 side booms, and 3 excavators to manage the pipe section that was a complex horizontal curve. The section reached 47-feet (14.3m) high, before being pulled under the river at a designed depth of over 230-feet (70m). Michels’ 750-ton Herrenknecht Pipe Thruster was also used to assist during the installation. The project was completed using two 1.2-million-pound rigs on each side of the river for the pilot hole intersect and reaming operations. Teams from Michels Canada and Michels Directional Crossings have been working 24 hours per day, 6 days per week since mid-August. Subsurface conditions were challenging, as crews encountered geology from limestone rock to silts and sands. Crews stayed in work camps and encountered typical Northern Alberta weather, from 86 F (30 degrees C) to -4 F (-20 C). This crossing is part of the TCPL Northern Courier Pipeline Project installing 42-inch casing pipe with 6 HDDs and 1 Direct Pipe®.
