Lee's Summit Continues to Use Trenchless Technology to Rehabilitate its Potable Water Distribution System

Since 2007, three projects have been completed in the City of Lee's Summit, Missouri, to rehabilitate over 15,000 linear feet of water mains using pipe bursting. Most of the pipe bursting occurred in residential areas where significant disturbance would occur by using conventional open-trench installation. Of the three previous projects including pipe bursting, two projects bid Fusible PVC pipe (FPVCP) and high density polyethylene (HDPE) as equals and allowed the contractor to decide which material to install, while the third project only specified HDPE pipe. These projects installed 6-inch FPVCP and 10-inch and 12-inch HDPE pipe, with some of the water mains being upsized; but, a majority of the mains being replaced size-for-size. Pipe bursting was found to be successful at greatly reducing surface disturbance and restoration of driveways, street pavements, and lawns, while it was also shown to be cost-competitive with open-trench construction, depending on the specifics of the installations. The City of Lee's Summit, Missouri, continues to use trenchless technology for replacing water mains today. Lamke Trenching and Excavating, Inc., of Marthasville, Missouri, is currently installing over 32,600 feet of pipe to replace mains in residential areas having a high break history due to exterior corrosion. Over 27,400 feet of pipe will be installed using a combination of pipe bursting, sliplining and directional drilling. The current project includes 24,916 feet of FPVCP, 3,909 feet of HDPE, and 3,800 feet of PVC. Construction began in May 2012 and is scheduled for completion in 2013. With over half of the project completed, Lamke is using trenchless technology to minimize impacts to residential areas and reduce disruption to traffic. This paper will review the City of Lee's Summit's previous experience with pipe bursting and trenchless technology and the decision to utilize it for most of their current replacement projects instead of traditional `dig and replace' technology. Project details - along with installation specifics, general cost comparisons, and a progress update - will be provided.