Innovative Pipeline Crossings (IPC) was selected by ENMAX to install 180m of 48” continuously welded steel pipe underneath Stoney Trail N.E. with general contractor, RB Sommerville. This pipeline would bring additional electrical power onto the Calgary grid from an outlying Enmax power plant. The project marked IPC’s first-ever application of the Direct Pipe trenchless technology, and the first use of this technology in Calgary.
Direct Pipe was chosen as the ideal method of installation for this project for a number of reasons. There were several on-site obstacles present including overhead power lines and limited Transportation Utility Corridor access which made it not as cost-effective or as feasible for other trenchless techniques, such as the HDD method.
Many challenges were encountered throughout the project, including unfamiliar soil conditions, extreme weather fluctuation, and difficulty keeping fluid lines and equipment from freezing in extreme cold and wind.
These obstacles made for very challenging ground and working conditions, however, the project was completed successfully, safely, and in a shorter time frame than the more common HDD method.