An Urban Alignment for a Waterline Up to 156 Inches

To meet regulatory requirements, as the area's regional provider, the City of Houston undertook the planning of extending the existing surface water system across the northern portion of Houston for approximately 22 miles. Based on initial data review, feasible corridors were investigated and evaluated to facilitate the selection of a preferred alignment. Parameters were established to assess the limiting factors such as available easement width, large diameter pipe constructability issues, familiarity with increased pressure operations, and cost. This paper will focus on the alignment, environmental, traffic control and constructability issues with placing an extra large transmission main in an urban setting.