Utility Relocation Success and Challenges in a Congested Underground Network

East Bay Municipal Utility District (District) has recently completed several challenging utility relocation projects for outside agencies with large roadway and transportation construction projects. From 2014 to 2019, the District has completed the planning, design, and construction inspection of three large utility relocation projects that were in various phases of construction within the same timelines. The projects include utility relocation for the: City of Oakland’s new 10th Street Bridge construction, AC Transit Bus Rapid Transit project, and Caltrans/ACTC Interstate 880 Improvements at 23rd and 29th Street in Oakland, California. Faced with a demanding workload of relocating miles of pipeline within a short timeline in a congested public right-of-way, the District utilized their Engineering, Construction, and O&M resources and experience to meet the challenges that lay ahead. This paper discusses the lessons learned in the planning, design, and construction phases of the project and the challenges and success in resolving operational constraints, permitting, installation challenges, and negotiating financial budget and agreements with multiple agencies.