Baker Named Prime Engineer for Virginia Natural Gas Hampton Roads Crossing Pipeline Project

VIRGINIA BEACH, Va., Oct. 25 /PRNewswire-FirstCall/ -- Michael Baker Jr., Inc., an engineering unit of Michael Baker Corporation , announced today that Virginia Natural Gas, a subsidiary of AGL Resources , has named Baker as a prime engineering consultant for the design and construction management of its Hampton Roads Crossing (HRX) pipeline project.

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The new pipeline will be constructed under the Hampton Roads harbor from Newport News to Norfolk to connect Virginia Natural Gas' Northern and Southern gas distribution systems. The HRX pipeline will ensure a reliable and competitively priced supply to meet the rapid growth in the region and the resulting demand for natural gas. The estimated construction value for the project is $48 to $60 million. Baker will be responsible for determining the final route alignment of the natural gas pipeline, field and hydrographic survey work, right-of-way identification and easement acquisition, engineering design and construction management.

Hank Linginfelter, president of Virginia Natural Gas, said, "Baker knows Hampton Roads well, and we are confident they will develop a project that will help us construct the energy infrastructure our region needs to continue to grow."

Work on the project is to begin immediately and is expected to be completed and in service by the winter of 2009.

Michael Baker Corporation (http://www.mbakercorp.com/) provides engineering and operations and maintenance services for its clients' most complex challenges worldwide. The firm's primary practice areas are aviation, environmental, facilities, geospatial information technologies, pipelines & telecommunications, transportation, water/wastewater, and oil & gas. With more than 5,000 employees in over 40 offices across the United States and internationally, Baker is focused on providing services that span the complete life cycle of infrastructure and managed asset projects.