Exhibit 99.1

                     NOTICE OF BLACKOUT PERIOD TO DIRECTORS
               AND EXECUTIVE OFFICERS OF MICHAEL BAKER CORPORATION

                         NOTICE DATE: NOVEMBER 19, 2004

     To effectuate a change in administrative service providers for the Michael
Baker Corporation Employee Stock Ownership Plan (the "Plan"), the Plan will be
subject to a blackout period (the "Blackout Period") beginning at 4:00 p.m. E.T.
on December 22, 2004, and continuing until the week of January 9, 2005.

     During the Blackout Period, participants in the Plan will be temporarily
prevented from initiating any transaction in their Plan accounts, including
changes in contributions and investments, and initiating loans, withdrawals, or
distributions. Because the Plan offers Michael Baker Corporation ("Michael
Baker) common stock as an investment option, you, as an executive officer or
director of Michael Baker, may be subject to the restrictions of Section 306(a)
of the Sarbanes-Oxley Act of 2002 ("Sarbanes-Oxley"), as described more fully
below.

     Under Section 306(a) of Sarbanes-Oxley and Section 101(a) of Regulation
BTR, promulgated thereunder, each director and executive officer of Michael
Baker subject to Section 16(b) of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, as
amended, is prohibited from, directly or indirectly, purchasing, selling, or
otherwise acquiring or transferring any equity security of Michael Baker during
the Blackout Period, if the director or executive officer acquired or previously
acquired the equity security in connection with his or her service or employment
as a director or officer of Michael Baker. CONSEQUENTLY, DURING THE BLACKOUT
PERIOD, YOU MAY NOT PURCHASE, SELL OR OTHERWISE TRANSFER OR ACQUIRE ANY EQUITY
SECURITIES OF MICHAEL BAKER (OR EXERCISE ANY OPTIONS) THAT YOU ACQUIRED IN
CONNECTION WITH YOUR SERVICE AS A DIRECTOR OR EXECUTIVE OFFICER OF MICHAEL
BAKER. Certain transactions are exempt from this prohibition, including, but not
limited to, purchases or sales of Michael Baker securities pursuant to a Rule
10b5-1 arrangement (provided such arrangement is not adopted or amended during
the Blackout Period) and purchases that occur automatically pursuant to the
Plan.

     The foregoing prohibition is in addition to the restrictions on trading
activity under Michael Baker's Insider Trading Policy.

     Note that any security of Michael Baker that you purchase, sell or
otherwise transfer during the Blackout Period will be automatically treated as
acquired in connection with your service or employment with Michael Baker unless
you establish that the securities were acquired from another source and that
such identification is consistent with your treatment of the securities for tax
purposes and all other disclosure and reporting purposes.

     During the blackout period you may obtain, without charge, the actual
ending date of the blackout period from, or address any questions about this
notice or the blackout period to, James McKnight, Executive Vice President
General Counsel and Corporate Secretary, 100 Airside Drive, Moon Township,
Pennsylvania 15108, telephone (412) 269-2532.