Planning, Designing, and Executing an Asbestos Cement Pipe Bursting Project with Municipal Forces

Staff at the City of Casselberry, Florida have planned, designed and managed construction of the largest asbestos cement (AC) pipe bursting project in the US. The City wanted to evaluate constructing the pipe bursting projects with municipal forces to identify any efficiency in self performing the work. The City elected to perform an in-house demonstration project for AC pipe bursting with assistance from TT Technologies, McElroy Manufacturing, ISCO Industries and the Alliance for PE Pipe. The City selected a suitable site for replacement of approximately 600 LF of 6” AC pipe with 6” HDPE. Preliminary design included project site evaluation, existing pipe access and staging area. Data collection defining the existing pipe conditions started in order to develop a detailed pipe bursting plan that provided locations of entrance/exit pit, service connections, fire hydrants and mainline connections. Two trial pipe bursting runs were required to provide a level of comfort for the staff who would be performing a third pipe bursting run as a demonstration project for the surrounding communities. This paper will detail the steps necessary to ensure success for any pipe bursting project, no matter what the size. City staff worked with McElroy Manufacturing and ISCO Industries in the week preceding the scheduled burst to perform certified butt fusions. City staff worked closely with TT Technologies staff to work with the equipment required to perform pipe bursting. City staff performed every action required to plan, design and successfully construct a pipe bursting project in full compliance with Environmental Protection Agency (EPA)’s current regulations surrounding AC pipe bursting.