Since my last note to you, we've completed both of the pipeline pulls under the Fraser River, each an enormous undertaking. Through all of this, the recurring theme that resonates is the power of a team working together toward a common goal.
The project team engineered this job, chose the crew and created the work plan. Together, they moved 1,400 metres of steel pipe up and over Blundell Road and the CN railroad tracks. They raised the pipe on as many as 14 cranes and as high as 10 metres in the air. In the StorkCraft parking lot they "threaded the needle," carefully placing the pipe in the centre of the casing. After attaching it to the waiting drill string they pulled the pipe almost one-and-a-half kilometres across the South Arm of the Fraser, deep below the riverbed and raised it up on the other side.
This incredible feat was accomplished not once, but twice.
The team worked together tirelessly through the wee hours of the morning when even the birds were sleeping. They maintained their humour when faced with challenge after challenge. And at the end of the job, they didn't rest; they started cleaning up and preparing for the next step.
The group includes engineers, pipeliners, crane operators, flag personnel, drillers, accountants, regulators, city staff, property managers, environmental guardians, the folks who procure equipment, supervisors, labourers, photographers, lawyers – the list goes on.
Of course, we couldn't have done this without the support of our neighbours at Kingswood Industrial Park. Thanks goes to everyone for their patience and understanding throughout this project, especially as we prepared for the pipeline pulls.
Together, we moved a mountain. Okay – maybe not a mountain in the literal sense, but we did pull a great big steel pipeline over and under and through – to put it in place under the Fraser River (twice). This work will ensure secure supply of gas to more than 220,000 natural gas customers, in Richmond and areas beyond. When you have the right people, all working toward a common goal – anything is possible.
Amy Hennessy