$65MM Emergency Design-Build | 54" & 48" Directional Drill of 7 miles of HDPE pipe

One of the most ambitious #DirectionalDrilling projects to be installed within a downtown environment, the Fort Lauderdale $65-million dollar, emergency Design-Build project, has become one of the most unique pipeline projects in the world.

The fast-tracked project installed 39,000 feet of 48 and 54-inch HDPE pipe, utilizing 17 large directional drills and staying 91% #trenchless
Received the 2021 Trenchless Project of the Year: HM
large-diameter drills within a highly urbanized setting; one of the largest #HDD projects to be installed within a downtown environment. The size, location and complexity make this one of the most unique pipeline projects in the world.
Environmental sensitive areas: The crossing of South Florida’s Intracoastal required Benthic Survey’s to identify and protect local ecosystems, which required permitting through the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers.
Substantial permitting through 11 jurisdictional agencies which included Municipal, County, State and Federal regulatory agencies.
Thermosetting resins were injected into the ground to prevent bore-hole collapse in sensitive areas.
The large scale of the project required calculations for temperature changes and pipe expansion and contraction. Electrofusion restraint saddles were installed to limit axial pipe movement.
Of the 17 HDDs, the most impressive were:
1. The installation of 3,400 feet of 48-inch HDPE DR (Dimension Ratio) 13.5 pipe.
2. The installation of 3,100 feet of 54-inch HDPE DR 17 pipe with 22 fusion welds during pipe pull back.
3. Four HDDs with tight-radius compound curves using 48-inch HDPE DR 13.5 pipe, which included a 2,600 foot and a 1,400 foot S-curve.
4. Three major waterway crossings (Tarpon River – 1,800-foot HDD, New River – 2,500-foot HDD, and Middle River – 1,600-foot HDD) reaching depths of over 60 feet. Due to depth and soil conditions, a 48-inch DR 11 pipe was used in the Middle River crossing making this one of the first projects in the United States to utilize this pipe size and DR