The Road Not Taken—A Look at Route Studies for Pipeline Alignments

“Two roads diverged in a yellow wood, /And sorry I could not travel both”—not all paths are created equal, and for many projects, upfront route studies can identify benefits and pitfalls of potential corridor options prior to finalizing route selection and proceeding with survey, design, permitting, and construction. This paper presents several case studies of preliminary route evaluations using a set of key criteria, data collection, and assessment techniques. This paper will explore techniques and methodology successfully utilized on multiple projects, such as aerial, topographic, utility, regulatory, property, and GIS information, to determine the viability of corridor options available for pipeline projects by open cut and trenchless installation methods. Understanding and addressing potential constraints during the planning phase of a pipeline design provide maximum opportunity for an optimized pipeline route that benefits the owner, schedule, budget, and other project drivers.