Longwall Mine Crossings
focused & flexible
Longwall mining activities deep underground can cause havoc on your buried pipe infrastructure as the ground above the mining begins to settle.
We have provided longwall mine pipeline crossing design services in West Virginia, Pennsylvania, and Ohio. These services include engineering, feature crossing design, and pipeline permitting alignment sheets for steel and HDPE natural gas pipelines, crossing dozens of longwall panels.
We focus on minimizing pipe restraint and associated strain during longwall mine surface subsidence keeping your pipeline and operations intact. Project flexibility and reprioritization is paramount when working with longwall miners, responding as mining schedules ebb and flow.
Longwall mine crossing design services include:
- Stream Crossing
- Road Crossings
- Access Road Crossings
- Driveway Crossings
- GPS and GIS Mapping/Field Location
- Collaboration with Survey Firms to Meet Client Requests
- Develop Permitting Drawing Plans identifying:
- Pipeline Right-of-Way and access
- Temporary Workspace and Additional Workspace for construction
- Acreage Amounts
- Property Boundaries and Landowners Information
- Develop Road/Access Road/Stream/Driveway Crossings utilizing a variety of methods including:
- Portable, Pre-Engineered Bridges
- Trench Boxes
- Culverts
- Timber Mat Bridge Supports
- Pneumatic Tests Plans for HDPE Piping
- Detailed Tie-In Plans for HDPE Piping
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What is Longwall Mining?
The longwall mining process consists of removing a panel of coal in a slice, several feet high, with a mechanical cutting device. While this slice of coal is removed, the panel roof is supported with hydraulic jacks. As these jacks are removed, the area above will subside. The subsidence then translates to the surface causing ground settlement, causing strain on any pipelines that remain buried. Our services focus on providing a safe and practical approach to maintaining pipeline integrity and meeting area permitting and Owner requirements.