Oil Patch Bits: Nigliq Channel Bridge chosen top ten bridge project

The 1,421-foot-long Nigliq Channel Bridge, which provides access to the Alpine satellite CD5 drill site on the North Slope of Alaska, has been named one of Roads and Bridges Magazine’s top 10 bridges for 2016. The bridge was ranked as the number two bridge in the country. The bridge, completed in 2015, is a key component of the sustainable development methods being employed to access the oil and gas resources in the National Petroleum Reserve-Alaska.

The project is operated by ConocoPhillips which managed and oversaw the CD5 development over the last decade, from conception to completion. Bridge design was performed by PND Engineers Inc., based in Anchorage, Alaska. PCL Civil Constructors Inc., out of Seattle, Washington, provided construction management services for the installation and fabrication of the bridge with support from CH2M and Ruskin Construction.

The bridge comprises eight spans up to 200 feet long and provides access for heavy oilfield service vehicles weighing up to 175 tons. It was engineered to support six pipelines along its downstream side, protecting them against ice floes up to 6 feet thick and 200 feet wide. Construction challenges included a remote location and extreme climate, with temperatures as low as minus 45 degrees F and wind chills reaching minus 65 degrees F, blizzards, limited infrastructure, extended Arctic darkness and limited access due to lack of permanent roads and seasonal ice road restrictions.

R&B Magazine’s Top 10 Bridge awards, created in 2000, recognize the top projects in North America.

---

Did you find this article interesting?

Tweet it

Digg it

Print this story | Email it to an associate.

Click here to subscribe to Petroleum News for as low as $89 per year.