2024 Trenchless Technology Projects of the Year Announced

Trenchless Technology, the leading publication covering the trenchless marketplace, has announced the winners of its 32nd annual Projects of the Year for 2024 — the most highly-coveted and prestigious trenchless industry project awards. Projects are awarded in New Installation and Rehabilitation categories.

The official announcement was made today during a special Trenchless Technology Perspectives Live Webinar, 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 (HDD), microtunneling and cured-in-place pipe (CIPP) relining, among others.

“Once again, this year’s Projects of the Year highlight the remarkable complexity, innovation, and determination required to bring these large-scale, challenging projects to completion,” says Trenchless Technology editor Sharon M. Bueno. “I’m continually amazed by the uniqueness and variety of trenchless methods used, especially in the projects that earned our awards. The trenchless industry remains at the forefront of construction innovation, pushing the limits of what’s possible. Congratulations to all our 2024 winners, and we look forward to celebrating with you in Denver!”

“We want to thank everyone who submitted their incredible and innovative projects for consideration, making the decisions for our New Installation and Rehabilitation Committees incredibly challenging,” she adds.

The Project of the Year for New Installation is Trans Mountain Expansion Project (TMEP) in Alberta and British Columbia. This project combined multiple trenchless applications, including HDD, microtunneling and Direct Pipe. The incorporation of all of these trenchless methods and others clearly provide a “Wow Factor,” making it standout not only for its technical achievements but also for its importance to the economies of Alberta, British Columbia and Canada.

TMEP is one of the largest and most technically challenging pipeline projects constructed in North America. The entire scope of work included 988 km of NPS 36-in. and NPS 42-in. pipeline, 193 km of NPS 24-in. reactivated pipeline, 12 new pump stations, 19 new tanks at existing terminals and three new shipping berths at the Westridge Marine Terminal in the Port of Vancouver. TMEP faced many hurdles during its more than a decade of planning and four years of construction. If it were not for the successful construction of its major (and minor) trenchless crossings, the project could not have been completed.

Other projects recognized in the New Installation category are: Aurora Water’s First Creek Interceptor project, Aurora, Colorado (Runner-up); Lake Ouachita Water Supply Trenchless Crossings, Hot Springs, Arkansas (Honorable Mention); and James River Crossing Sewage Force Main, Hampton Roads, Virginia (Honorable Mention).

This year’s Project of the Year for Rehabilitation is the Front Street Interceptor project in Harrisburg, Pennsylvania. This 113-year-old Interceptor, situated in the heart of the historic and popular Susquehanna Riverfront Park, is a critical concrete box arch pipe that conveys a significant portion of the region’s combined sewage, handling over 20 mgd during wet weather events. Spanning nearly three miles, the interceptor’s condition has long been a concern for its owner, Capital Region Water, with efforts to address its deterioration reaching a point of urgency.

This project, led by Insituform Technologies and AECOM, demanded innovative thinking, specialized expertise, and a great deal of patience and precision to rehabilitate this critical infrastructure for long-term durability into the next century. Its distinctive, hard-cornered rectangular shape required use of a recently adopted ASCE standard for non-circular pipe design to ensure both efficiency and success — the first major U.S. project designed using this standard. With the use of CIPP, wetout liner for all 28 installs — some that were more than 1,000 ft in length — were able to be trucked in. This combination of install method, diameter, shape, location, depth and alignment are rare and unique and were the central focus of this $18 million project.

Other projects recognized in the Rehabilitation category are: Moonlight Beach Triple 72-in. CMP UV-CIPP Rehabilitation Project, Encinitas, California (Runner-up); Spout Run 3,300 Ft CIPP Pipe Rehab Project, Arlington, Virginia (Honorable Mention); and South Claiborne 48-in. Water Transmission Replacement, New Orleans, Louisiana (Honorable Mention).

Winners are featured in the October 2024 issue of Trenchless Technology and will be formally recognized at the 2025 NASTT No-Dig Show, to be held in Denver, Colorado, March 30-April 3. Winners are chosen on the basis of technical advancement, technical complexity, milestones and records achieved, interaction and cooperation and advancement of the trenchless industry.

Spearheading our Project of the Year process is managing editor Mike Kezdi, working with two committees of New Installation and Rehabilitation experts, representing a cross section of the industry.