Melting snow means TAPS project season set to start

The weather is changing and Alyeska engineers and work crews are preparing to start this summer’s construction and maintenance projects, including:

Right-of-Way (ROW) maintenance - Ongoing work includes cutting brush along the ROW, mining and stockpiling gravel for other projects, maintaining appropriate water flow and fish routes at ROW creek and river crossings, installing and maintaining ROW signage and gating ROW access roads to protect sensitive areas from off-road traffic.

Integrity inspections at roadway crossings - Alyeska crews will excavate to check for corrosion at several pipeline road crossings including the Richardson Highway, at MP 34 near Tsaina Lodge. This project will require installation of a temporary traffic bypass around the work site.

Alyeska Radio Telephone System (ARTS) upgrade - Crews will upgrade ARTS equipment to take advantage of current technology and comply with FCC requirements. The modifications will improve radio coverage that is critical to pipeline safety and reliability.

Pump Station 12 isolation - PS12 is being prepared for less use. Select systems will remain on-site for contingency use. Related mainline pipe modifications are scheduled during a planned 36-hour shutdown in July and the remaining work will conclude in October.

Aboveground pipeline program maintenance - Aboveground integrity monitoring, maintenance and structural repair work will be done on mainline pipe, relief lines and all bridge structures. It will replace and adjust vertical pipeline support members, recharge 3,400 heat pipes to help maintain permafrost, replace or re-center protection designed to allow free movement of the pipe, inspect 23 vehicle access bridges, repair the east abutment of the Gulkana bridge and continue thermal monitoring, site analysis, slope stability monitoring and geotechnical evaluations.

Mainline pipe insulation repairs - New protection was designed and is being installed along 60 miles of the aboveground pipeline to repair insulation that has unwanted moisture, which reduces insulation values.