only one Michels employee crossed the border on one
occasion to oversee work in Mexico.
A specialised security firm was hired to maintain
contact with local and Mexican authorities as part of
the overall project security plan. No security issues were
experienced during the entirety of the work.
Challenging conditions
Construction was completed during summer, when Texas
temperatures soared to oppressive heights. When its crew
members needed to enter the pipe on access carts for
survey and routine maintenance, they used specialised air
fans and wore ‘cool suits’, which are vests that pump cold
water around the exterior of the body to ensure the safety
of workers and the continuous operation of equipment.
The crew members reported that it was a pleasure working
in the Rio Grande, Texas community.
Another consideration was the unique wildlife in the
Rio Grande Valley. Michels made sure to educate its crews
about the local species, including many varieties of spiders
that coexist in the area.
About two dozen Michels crew members were onsite
during the project, and were guided by the innovative
leadership of Tim McGuire, Vice President; Jeff S. Mueller,
Operations Manager; Patrick O’Donoghue, Trenchless
Crossing Manager; Matt Smith, Direct Pipe Manager; Eric
McBrair, Direct Pipe Superintendent; Wes Lingerfeldt,
Machine Operator; Rick Zavitz, Drilling Fluids Engineer; and
Superintendents Paul Krings, Jerimiah Ylinienmi and Brian
Ketter.
Figure 3.
Direct Pipe can be an effective way to handle challenging international border crossing projects.
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