Construction of the Seaway loop, or twin, crude oil pipeline has entered Kaufman County according to Kaufman County Emergency Management Coordinator Steve Howie. The new pipeline will be laid parallel to an existing Seaway pipeline currently traveling through Kaufman County, several miles east of Forney's city limits.
The Seaway crude oil pipeline is a joint venture between Enterprise Products Partners and Enbridge Inc. The existing 30-inch pipeline, completed in 1976, travels through Kaufman County and originates in Cushing, Oklahoma. It travels approximately 500 miles south to refineries along the Texas Gulf Coast.
The pipeline was originally constructed to transport oil from the gulf region to Cushing, Oklahoma, but the direction was reversed earlier in 2012. Seaway is now in the process of constructing the Seaway loop, or twin, that will be an additional 512 miles of 30-inch pipeline constructed parallel to the existing pipeline. The additional pipeline is estimated to transport 450,000 barrels of crude oil per day.
"The reversal gives producers in established and emerging domestic basins the capability to serve the world's largest concentration of refineries, located along the Gulf Coast, which is expected to reduce shipments of imported crude oil," according to Seaway Pipeline's website.
Crews have begun clearing and grading land within the right-of-way where the pipeline will be buried. Currently crews are working near Farm-to-Market (FM) 2578 and FM 987 in Kaufman County south of Terrell and north of Kaufman. In this section of the project, the new pipeline will be laid in the existing pipeline's right-of-way.
The pipeline will be laid approximately three to four feet below grade, according to Enterprise Products Partners media spokesperson Rick Rainey. With questions about pipeline construction safety arising due to an explosion of a 14-inch liquified petroleum gas pipeline in Milford, Texas, Rainey says, “there is no higher priority than safety. The pipeline is being built with state of the art technology.”
Kaufman County Emergency Management Coordinator Steve Howie says he will be watching the project closely. “I do have concerns. If they are working near a pipeline and hit it there is a potential for disaster. They gave me assurances that won't happen and said they will do their due diligence while working in proximity to the existing pipeline.”
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Approximately 15 miles of the new pipeline north and west of Terrell will run in a separate right-of-way from the existing pipeline. This portion of the pipeline is also where the Seaway pipeline has its Terrell Pumping Station for the existing pipeline on Colquitt Road.
The new pipeline will cross under State Highway (SH) 205 just south of the Airpark East Airport near FM 548. The existing Seaway pipeline crosses SH 205 near the its intersection with County Road (CR) 243.
The pipelines will join back into the same right-of-way south of Interstate Highway (IH) 20 near mile marker 498. The new pipeline will pass under US Highway 80 and Spur 557 near CR 305. The existing pipeline crosses both highways about a quarter of a mile east of CR 305.
An approximate 3-mile section of the pipeline north of US Highway 175 is also separated into two different right-of-ways but joins again just south of US Highway 175. This section of the pipeline travels west of Kaufman, Texas, near the US Highway 175 and the Texas State highway 243 intersection.
The pipeline runs through the southern portion of the county approximately 3 miles east of downtown Scurry, Texas, and 7 miles west of downtown Kemp, Texas. The pipelines exit the county near the intersection of CR 4072 and CR 4066.
According to Howie, once the actual pipeline construction begins it is expected to last only four to six weeks. No major traffic delays are expected during the pipeline construction.
The pipeline was originally constructed to transport oil from the gulf region to Cushing, Oklahoma, but the direction was reversed earlier in 2012. Seaway is now in the process of constructing the Seaway loop, or twin, that will be an additional 512 miles of 30-inch pipeline constructed parallel to the existing pipeline. The additional pipeline is estimated to transport 450,000 barrels of crude oil per day.
"The reversal gives producers in established and emerging domestic basins the capability to serve the world's largest concentration of refineries, located along the Gulf Coast, which is expected to reduce shipments of imported crude oil," according to Seaway Pipeline's website.
Crews have begun clearing and grading land within the right-of-way where the pipeline will be buried. Currently crews are working near Farm-to-Market (FM) 2578 and FM 987 in Kaufman County south of Terrell and north of Kaufman. In this section of the project, the new pipeline will be laid in the existing pipeline's right-of-way.
The pipeline will be laid approximately three to four feet below grade, according to Enterprise Products Partners media spokesperson Rick Rainey. With questions about pipeline construction safety arising due to an explosion of a 14-inch liquified petroleum gas pipeline in Milford, Texas, Rainey says, “there is no higher priority than safety. The pipeline is being built with state of the art technology.”
Kaufman County Emergency Management Coordinator Steve Howie says he will be watching the project closely. “I do have concerns. If they are working near a pipeline and hit it there is a potential for disaster. They gave me assurances that won't happen and said they will do their due diligence while working in proximity to the existing pipeline.”
Approximately 15 miles of the new pipeline north and west of Terrell will run in a separate right-of-way from the existing pipeline. This portion of the pipeline is also where the Seaway pipeline has its Terrell Pumping Station for the existing pipeline on Colquitt Road. The new pipeline will cross under State Highway (SH) 205 just south of the Airpark East Airport near FM 548. The existing Seaway pipeline crosses SH 205 near the its intersection with County Road (CR) 243.
The pipelines will join back into the same right-of-way south of Interstate Highway (IH) 20 near mile marker 498. The new pipeline will pass under US Highway 80 and Spur 557 near CR 305. The existing pipeline crosses both highways about a quarter of a mile east of CR 305.
An approximate 3-mile section of the pipeline north of US Highway 175 is also separated into two different right-of-ways but joins again just south of US Highway 175. This section of the pipeline travels west of Kaufman, Texas, near the US Highway 175 and the Texas State highway 243 intersection.
The pipeline runs through the southern portion of the county approximately 3 miles east of downtown Scurry, Texas, and 7 miles west of downtown Kemp, Texas. The pipelines exit the county near the intersection of CR 4072 and CR 4066.
According to Howie, once the actual pipeline construction begins it is expected to last only four to six weeks. No major traffic delays are expected during the pipeline construction.