Innovation Leads Michels to Advance Trenchless Installations

Michels Trenchless uses a variety of methods to design, build, and rehabilitate underground utility lines and infrastructure. A world leader in trenchless installation and repair, Michels continuously develops safe, reliable solutions to meet demands for minimally disruptive, environmentally sound infrastructure construction.

Michels leaders, managers, and field personnel support the energy, energy transition, mission critical, transportation, and water and wastewater industries. New construction services include horizontal directional drilling (HDD), Direct Pipe®, tunneling, microtunneling, and auger boring. Rehabilitation services include cured-in-place pipe (CIPP) and spray-in-place pipe (SIPP) liners and sliplining.

From pre-construction services and alternative delivery teams to trenchless construction experts in the field and available at a moment’s notice anywhere around the world with our remote monitoring capabilities, Michels provides customers with end-to-end solutions for some of the most challenging projects.

In Virginia, Michels used Direct Pipe® technology to complete nine shore approaches and horizontal directional drilling equipment to complete 10 HDD crossings of environmentally sensitive areas on one renewable energy project, a previously unprecedented amount of work on one project. Mining was completed in three phases by simultaneously executing three Direct Pipe® installations in each phase, each culminating with the placement of the HDPE conduit inside the steel casing. The Direct Pipe® installations concluded with the retrieval of the Direct Pipe® microtunnel boring machine by marine support equipment.

In Oregon, Michels used a microtunnel boring machine to install approximately a half-mile of 90-inch diameter outfall pipe to convey treated flow from a wastewater treatment plant under a road, highway and park into the Willamette River. A barge-mounted crane lifted the microtunnel boring machine from the river bottom onto a barge with the drive was completed and diffusor installed. The project was completed under a progressive design-build delivery model, which allowed Michels to use innovation and experience to complete the project.