Left to right: Nicolas Bechwati, Donald Chang, Lisha Mai, Tracie Sakakihara, Kurt Wurnitsch, Catherine Okamura.
The Silicon Valley Chapter of the American Public Works Association (APWA) has named a sewer rehabilitation project undertaken for the City of Burlingame as its Public Works Project of the Year (Utilities, less than $2 million).
The Easton Addition, Ray Park and Neighborhood Sewer Rehabilitation Project, Phase 2, grew from the City's commitment to replacing its aging infrastructure to ensure the reliability of the sewer collection system. Congested utilities, very dense soil conditions, limited workspace, and the need to minimize impact on residential properties made finding a suitable construction method a challenge.
Coordination with the gas utility owner allowed for a better understanding of the design needed to cope with a gas main located very close to the sewer main. Pipe reaming was chosen for the site conditions since pipe bursting was not acceptable to the gas utility owner. This method was highly compatible with the limited workspace, and soil conditions did not cause significant issues due to the use of drilling mud lubrication for smooth pipe installation. Pipe reaming also eliminated open-cut trenching and prevented serious impacts to traffic and residents along residential roads.