GOLD AWARD - Energy Category

Eddy Pad-Antero Resources

FOX Engineering, PLLC (FOX) was asked by Antero Resources to develop a Marcellus Shale horizontal natural gas well drilling site in Ritchie County near Pennsboro, West Virginia. FOX was tasked with the design and preparation of permitting and construction documents necessary to construct an access road, a 200' x 300' well drilling pad and a targeted 90,000 barrel impoundment. The proposed drilling site posed many challenges including terrain and crossing the North Fork Hughes River and required expertise in many of the civil engineering disciplines including hydrology, hydraulics, structural, transportation and geotechnical engineering.

BRONZE AWARD - Structural Systems Category

HS-185K Substructure - The Dickirson Corporation

Along with the ever increasing interest in drilling for natural gas and oil, come increased regulations to ensure that the drilling is performed in a safe and environmentally conscience manner. Many times the new safety requirements cause existing equipment to become obsolete. The relationship between FOX and The Dickirson Corporation, also a Ripley, West Virginia based company, led to the development of the HS-185K substructure providing an economical and safe way to put one company's rigs back to work which were rendered obsolete by changing regulations. By integrating the ramp into the substructure, FOX and Dickirson were able to deliver a substructure that was compact, lightweight and mobile. The engineering expertise of FOX and the manufacturing expertise of Dickirson overcame many challenges to develop a solution that exceeded the customer's expectations while saving the customer the cost of purchasing new drill rigs.

BRONZE AWARD - Transportation Category

Reader Temporary Bridge -Williams

Price Gregory International (PGI), an out of state pipeline contractor, mobilized to West Virginia to construct a natural gas pipeline for Williams only to find they were unable to access portions of the proposed pipeline construction route with their equipment due to a WVDOH load restricted structure located near the community of Reader in Wetzel County. Williams recommended PGI contact FOX for a solution. FOX immediately scheduled a meeting with PGI, Williams and WVDOH at the site to discuss options. Following the meeting FOX developed a plan to build up the approaches and overlay the existing structure with a pre-fabricated, pre-stressed timber segmental bridge. FOX planned, designed and installed the temporary overlay structure in an unprecedented five days. The structure was in place and open to traffic in less than twenty-four hours minimizing disruptions to area residents. The structure was then leased to PGI for a period of twelve months at which time it was removed in less than twenty-four hours restoring traffic back to original conditions. The quick response of FOX saved PGI costly delays which would have resulted from their not being able to access the construction site in a timely manner. The project was such a success that area residents complained to WVDOH when the temporary overlay structure was removed and they were left with the old bridge. Successful projects such as this go a long way to improve the public's perception of the booming natural gas industry in the region.