Pipeline Construction

The section of the Wesauking Pipeline that crosses Joyce Road was welded into place late yesterday and inspections of the pipeline are done before backfilling the trench.



Checking the pipeline coating with a "Jeep Meter".



Once the inspections are complete the backfilling begins. A vibrating sifter bucket is used to remove rocks from the fill dirt around the pipeline.



While one crew finishes up the road crossing, another crew works on preparing for the pipeline to cross the wetland area on our property. An excavator transports a load of timber planking down a very steep slope to the wetland area.



In the background, a crew works on welding the section of pipe that will be placed through the wetland. An orange line indicates where the trench will be dug.

Pipeline Construction

Construction of the Wesauking Pipeline crossed Joyce Road today. With the pipeline trenches dug on both sides of Joyce Road, the next step was to connect the trenches by cutting across the road.



Steel plates were placed over the trench so local traffic could cross the trench while the finial preparations were completed.



Joyce Road was closed as a section of pipe is placed in the road crossing.



Lowering the pipe into the trench.



Positioning the pipe so it is aligned with another section.





The two sections of pipeline are aligned and welded.






With the pipeline in the trench, the locations of the pipeline and welded joints is recorded with GPS.


The pipeline is backfilled with flowable fill, a mixture of cement, fly ash, water and sand.




The road crossing trench full of flowable fill.



A section of the pipeline, west of Joyce Road, is placed in the trench.



A view from the barn silo of the pipeline being placed in the trench.
(Click on image to enlarge)

Pipeline Construction

Another sunny, but windy day and another section of the Wesauking Pipeline is in the ground.


The section of pipeline east of Joyce Road, between the road and our wetlands crossing, was placed in the morning and the back-filling started soon after.



A vibrating sifter bucket was used to remove rocks from the dirt used for back-filling.



View from the barn silo of the Wesauking Pipeline, east of Joyce Road. The cleared area, in the background of the photo, is the location of the valve assembly where the Wilmot and Wesauking pipelines intersect.



On the west side of Joyce Road, excavators work on the trenches for the next sections of the pipeline.



As one excavator digs a trench another excavator positions a load of sandbags that will be placed in the trench to support the pipeline.

Maple Trees

This year's warm spring weather is causing the dull grays and browns of winter to take on brighter colors. The maple trees are starting to take on some bright red colors as their seed pods are filling out.

Pipeline Construction

While most people had the day off from work for Easter, the directional drilling crew was working 24 hours per day on the pipeline boring project. They are now reaming the bore hole to a 36 inch diameter.



An excavator at the top end of the bore hole pulls on the rotating drill pipe as the 36 inch reamer enlarges the bore hole.



It's a tug-of-war, like a big bird trying to pull a long worm out of the ground.

Pipeline Construction

With the continued sunny and dry weather, the pipeline crew is making progress on the Wesauking Pipeline. This section of the pipeline was placed in the ground yesterday and they are busy with back-filling and grading the pipeline.




A CAT-D6 dozer works on rough grading the pipeline route.

In the background, through the trees, is the pipeline route as it crosses Joyce Road near our barn.



An excavator "gently" places soft dirt over the pipeline as an inspector watches.



As one crew works to finish burying one section of the pipeline, another crew is preparing a trench for the section east of Joyce Road.



How steep is the side-hill ... If you look close, you can see the excavator operator's left foot is bracing him into the seat.

Pipeline Construction

Today started off cold but was bright and sunny as the crew on the Wesauking Pipeline prepared to put the pipe in the ground. Earlier in the day, the excavators had completed digging the trench for the east section of pipeline which runs from the Wilmot pipeline to the wetlands crossing on our property. The sandbags have been placed in the trench and the excavators are moving into position.



The excavators start to lower the beginning of the pipeline as the inspectors watch.



Once one section of the pipeline is lowered into the trench, the excavators shift position and repeat the lowering process.



The whole process of moving equipment and lowering the pipeline into the trench is directed by one person, Everett (standing on the right side of the trench).

The orange marking on the pipeline (lower right corner) is the position of a welded joint in the pipeline. Once the pipe is placed in its finial location in the trench, a GPS location will be recorded of all welded joints.



A view of the equipment moving down the hill, placing the pipeline in the trench.

After the pipeline is in the trench, additional sandbags will be placed on the pipeline at selected locations and the trench is then back-filled.

Pipeline Construction

The welding of some sections of the Wesauking Pipeline is complete and the pipeline has been wrapped with yellow Rock Shield.



At the east end of the Wesauking Pipeline, excavators started digging the trench for the pipeline.



A close-up view of Rock Shield.

Pipeline Construction

Welding of the Wesauking Pipeline has progressed to the west side of Joyce Road, near our barn. I climbed to the top of our barn's silo to get a wide angle view of the pipeline construction on Maureen Brady's property. (Click on photo to enlarge the image)



View of work from the silo.



Pipeline welding near the wetland area on Maureen's property.



Aligning a pipe joint with an alignment jig prior to welding.



Tack welding the joint while the alignment jig holds the pipe in position.



The alignment jig is removed and the joint is welded.



Cleaning the weld for inspection and another layer of weld.

Pipeline Construction

Welding on the East end of the Wesauking Pipeline began today. This section of the Wesauking Pipeline is 12 inches in diameter and requires less welding than the 24 inch pipe used on the Wilmot Pipeline.

The welding crew attaches the alignment collar to a section of the pipeline.



The next section of pipe is placed in the alignment collar.



The two pieces of pipe are clamped into position prior to tack welding.



Welding the bottom side of the pipe joint.



Finishing the welding of the joint.



After the pipe is welded, an X-ray inspection of the welded joint is done and documented.