Trenchless Infrastructure Construction Techniques Used in Colombia

The use of traditional urban infrastructure construction techniques, particularly open-cut construction, is being used less and less because of the benefits offered by trenchless techniques. These techniques typically reduce the disruption and impact on both the environment (i.e., reduced greenhouse-gas emissions) and society (i.e., reduced traffic and pedestrian delays attributable to road and sidewalk closures). In Colombia, owners such as Empresas Públicas de Medellín E.S.P. and the Colombian Institute for Subterranean Infrastructure Technologies and Techniques have promoted the use of these technologies in urban areas. The primary techniques used in Colombia for installing and rehabilitating urban infrastructure are pipe bursting, horizontal directional drilling, cured-in-place pipe, and microtunneling. Automated decision support tools are available in Colombia to assist designers in selecting technically viable techniques. This paper describes the trenchless techniques used in Colombia, a brief description of a decision support system available for selecting construction methods, and discusses four applications for installing and/or rehabilitating underground utilities through case studies of projects in Colombia.