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Almost everyone in Phillips County has noticed the activity surrounding the pipeline and the many 18-wheelers bringing the pipe to the trenches.
“The whole United States is going to look like a spider web,” said Judy Stuckey of Judy’s Escorts of Beebe as she waited to escort the next 18-wheeler through traffic at the mat yard on Highway 49 near the railroad crossing.
Stuckey drives an escort truck for Lo-Boy rigs contracted by Associated Pipe as they move three, 80-foot long pipes to its destination.
The mat yard is a meeting area for the hundreds of workers currently in the county laying miles and miles of steel pipe that will eventually pump natural gas and oil through the heart of America. The crew expects to “punch” or bore under the Mighty Mississippi very soon.
Butch Davis, a Lo-Boy driver from Winnsboro, La., says the crew is still about three miles from the river.
“They’re clearing about two miles a day, which is purely a guesstimate,” he commented.
Davis gave a synopsis of the process.
“First, they string the pipe. Then, the welding comes behind,” he said.
The crews began their work in June in Searcy and are on the last leg of the project. The joints are 80-feet long. Once a large section is welded together, the section is placed in a trench on a foam surface. The pipes are flexible and bend to fit the contours of the trench.
“It looks like one big caterpillar,” said Stuckey of the giant green, steel pipes.
More than 20 trucks a day pull in the “49 Mat Yard” and everyone has an escort for safety, explained Stuckey.
“A month ago a Pepsi truck and a stringer truck collided,” she said. “This area has so much traffic.”
With 80 feet of pipe, a tight corner can be difficult to turn and the load may extend into other lanes.
When the crews place a pipe in the trench a sucker hoe is used to lift the pipe.
Stuckey says the process is amazing since the apparatus uses suction from an opening no bigger than a half dollar to move the pipe, which weighs thousands of pounds.
Before the pipes go in the trench, the pipe is inspected for scratches. If one is found, another crew is dispatched to apply more green coating.
“That way the natural gas won’t rust through,” said Stuckey.
While the crewmembers are not sure of the exact completion date of the project, Stuckey thinks the project should be completed in the spring. However, before the crew leaves for other pastures every sign of their presence must be wiped from the area.
“It has to look like we’ve never been here,” she said. “We have to put all the dirt back, plant grass and seeds and if need be, restore wetlands.”
Stuckey was once a bookkeeper but after her children grew and left home, she sought other work that didn’t place her behind a desk all day.
“I really like this job,” she said.
“I usually put about 300 miles a day on my truck when I’m escorting,” she added.
After completing the pipeline, Associated Pipe plans to work in Louisiana but Stuckey says the group will be back.
“A sister line is planned right next to this one.”
Associated Pipeline has a warehouse in Forrest City.
Almost everyone in Phillips County has noticed the activity surrounding the pipeline and the many 18-wheelers bringing the pipe to the trenches.
“The whole United States is going to look like a spider web,” said Judy Stuckey of Judy’s Escorts of Beebe as she waited to escort the next 18-wheeler through traffic at the mat yard on Highway 49 near the railroad crossing.
Stuckey drives an escort truck for Lo-Boy rigs contracted by Associated Pipe as they move three, 80-foot long pipes to its destination.
The mat yard is a meeting area for the hundreds of workers currently in the county laying miles and miles of steel pipe that will eventually pump natural gas and oil through the heart of America. The crew expects to “punch” or bore under the Mighty Mississippi very soon.
Butch Davis, a Lo-Boy driver from Winnsboro, La., says the crew is still about three miles from the river.
“They’re clearing about two miles a day, which is purely a guesstimate,” he commented.
Davis gave a synopsis of the process.
“First, they string the pipe. Then, the welding comes behind,” he said.
The crews began their work in June in Searcy and are on the last leg of the project. The joints are 80-feet long. Once a large section is welded together, the section is placed in a trench on a foam surface. The pipes are flexible and bend to fit the contours of the trench.
“It looks like one big caterpillar,” said Stuckey of the giant green, steel pipes.
More than 20 trucks a day pull in the “49 Mat Yard” and everyone has an escort for safety, explained Stuckey.
“A month ago a Pepsi truck and a stringer truck collided,” she said. “This area has so much traffic.”
With 80 feet of pipe, a tight corner can be difficult to turn and the load may extend into other lanes.
When the crews place a pipe in the trench a sucker hoe is used to lift the pipe.
Stuckey says the process is amazing since the apparatus uses suction from an opening no bigger than a half dollar to move the pipe, which weighs thousands of pounds.
Before the pipes go in the trench, the pipe is inspected for scratches. If one is found, another crew is dispatched to apply more green coating.
“That way the natural gas won’t rust through,” said Stuckey.
While the crewmembers are not sure of the exact completion date of the project, Stuckey thinks the project should be completed in the spring. However, before the crew leaves for other pastures every sign of their presence must be wiped from the area.
“It has to look like we’ve never been here,” she said. “We have to put all the dirt back, plant grass and seeds and if need be, restore wetlands.”
Stuckey was once a bookkeeper but after her children grew and left home, she sought other work that didn’t place her behind a desk all day.
“I really like this job,” she said.
“I usually put about 300 miles a day on my truck when I’m escorting,” she added.
After completing the pipeline, Associated Pipe plans to work in Louisiana but Stuckey says the group will be back.
“A sister line is planned right next to this one.”
Associated Pipeline has a warehouse in Forrest City.
