Projects

Alpha 3 provided CPM scheduling and project controls services for the construction of TransCanada’s Mountaineer Xpress Pipeline Project (MXP) located in Charleston, West Virginia. The MXP Project consisted of 170 miles of 36” diameter pipe to transport natural gas from the Marcellus Shale. The project also included the installation of three new compressor stations, as well as the modification of three existing compressor stations. With a project value of approximately $3.2 billion, the project can transport 2.7 billion cubic feet per day of natural gas through the Appalachian Basin. The Federal Energy Regulatory Commission (FERC) approved full in-service operations on March 1, 2019.

In support of the contractor, Alpha 3 provided CPM scheduling and project controls support on Spread 8 of 8. Alpha 3’s services consisted of schedule development, maintenance, recovery schedules, schedule acceleration, schedule narratives, unit-quantity tracking, and analysis of unit production rates.

As projects progress pass their initial development phase, and constructability plans evolve to meet project conditions, the schedule’s work breakdown structures (WBS) can often become obsolete for managing the project effectively. In response to these project conditions, Alpha 3 created activity codes across the project to identify unique foreman crews, craft-labor trades, work disciplines, and locations. This allowed Alpha 3 to transpose the project information into valuable group and sort layouts as necessary and to satisfy all project stakeholders, from trade and crew foreman to regulatory agencies and executive management. 

With a magnified focus on safety due to West Virginia’s mountainous terrain, the project also presented a dynamic challenge for project planning and coordination to accommodate the geography’s unique site conditions. The daily planning and scheduling effort became crucial to project execution. Material delivery, staging, sequencing, and construction access all had to be strategically coordinated and planned to maintain the schedule while ensuring the safety of all personnel.