2020 Trenchless Technology Projects of the Year Announced
Trenchless Technology magazine, the leading publication covering the trenchless marketplace, has announced the winners of its 28th annual Projects of the Year for 2020. Projects are awarded in New Installation and Rehabilitation categories.
The announcement was made during a special live Webinar event this afternoon, as part of World Trenchless Day.
This year’s overall winning projects for New Installation and Rehabilitation feature the trenchless applications of horizontal directional drilling and cured-in-place pipe (CIPP). This year’s top winning projects also carry the distinction of being completed by the same contractor: Michels Corp.
“The 2020 group of Project of the Year winners represents such an incredible body of trenchless work across the board,” says Trenchless Technology editor Jim Rush. “An added caveat to this year’s group is that projects submitted by Michels Corp. were chosen by the Selection Committees as the top projects for New Installation and Rehabilitation. We want to thank everyone who submitted their projects for consideration for this year’s competition, making the decisions of our selection committees such a difficult and challenging endeavor.”
The Project of the Year for New Installation is the Bakken Missouri River Crossing. This incredible HDD crossing utilized the intersect method to cross Lake Sakakawea on the Missouri River to connect two ends of a 2.5-mile alignment — a 13,247-ft total crossing — using a 20-in. diameter pipe string and two custom-made drill rigs each with more than 1-million pounds of push/pull capacity. This project provided a multitude of challenges for the contractor including a delayed start, steep entry and exit angles and a remote location to work in. Using HDD as the method of installation also eliminated the need to use a more costly alternative of having to divert hundreds of miles around the lake, thus saving project owner Kinder Morgan a substantial amount of money.
Other projects recognized in the New Installation category are: Sur de Texas-Tuxpan Pipeline, (Runner-up); Port-PL6 Stormwater Storage Tank Tunnel (Honorable Mention); and SR 37 Offsite Drainage Outfall Storm Sewer – North Segment (Honorable Mention).
The Project of the Year for Rehabilitation is the Guam Northern Interceptor Sewer Rehabilitation. The Island of Guam provided a tropical and scenic backdrop to an impressive and challenging ultraviolet cured-in-place pipe (UV CIPP) project. In all, 44,000 lf of sewer were rehabilitated — ahead of schedule — as crews managed logistical and planning challenges, as well as working in conditions that included the early stages of a global pandemic. Upon its completion, this incredible project would become the single largest UV CIPP interceptor rehab project in the United States, according to project officials.
Other projects recognized in the Rehabilitation category are: World Record 42-in. Cast Iron Gas Main CIPL Rehabilitation, (Runner-up); SAWS Multiple Sewershed Package 2A (Honorable Mention); and Rehabilitating 1,890 ft of a 20-in. Water Line through a 90-degree Bend with a High-Pressure Requirement (Honorable Mention).
Winners are featured in the October 2020 issue of Trenchless Technology and formally recognized at the 2021 NASTT No-Dig Show, to be held in Orlando, March 28-April 1.
Winners are chosen on the basis of technical advancement, technical complexity, milestones and records achieved, interaction and cooperation and advancement of the trenchless industry. They are selected by two committees of experts representing a cross section of the industry.
