Michels Corporation continues to push the limits of trenchless technologies by completing a record-length Direct Pipe® installation under the Dow Barge Canal in Freeport, Texas.
The 4,038-foot installation is a North American record for Direct Pipe®. Michels used a Herrenknecht 750-ton pipe thruster to push the 48-inch diameter pipe string through a challenging alignment and into a shallow exit pit on Aug. 28. The project was completed in two months and runs under a flood control levee, Dow Barge Canal, a rail crossing, and multiple road crossings.
In addition to completing the record-setting Direct Pipe® installation, Michels worked with owner Phillips 66 and general contractor Troy Construction from project inception to ensure optimal design and maximum potential for success.
Direct Pipe® is a one-pass technology that combines aspects of horizontal directional drilling and tunneling to install pipes. It is particularly effective for crossing under levees, waterways, rail tracks, and roadways because the borehole is continually supported and there is a greatly reduced risk of inadvertent fluid returns.
