Force main replacement work wins ACEC award in Arizona

Replacement work on the Bell Road Force Main in Sun City West, Arizona has earned a 2017 Engineering Excellence Grand Award from the American Council of Engineering Companies (ACEC) – Arizona, in recognition of the successful use of an alternative delivery method to effectively manage risk. This enabled the development of alternative alignments considering constructability, cost and risk, and project phasing for permitting and construction, and resulted in the complex project being delivered under budget and ahead of schedule.

The existing Bell Road Force Main was a 3.5 mile long, 18-inch diameter asbestos cement pipe that was nearly 40 years old and crossed under the Agua Fria River. It served over 15,000 commercial and residential customers, and ran through government land and two municipalities. In 2015, GHD started to design the new force main as part of a traditional design-bid-build project; however, during the preliminary alignment design, the team identified several key design decisions that could complicate and/or potentially delay the project. GHD recommended that the owner, EPCOR Water (USA) Inc., modify the project delivery process to include a Construction Manager at Risk (CMAR) as part of the design team to facilitate alternative alignment evaluations and accelerate the construction process.

Teaming with Achen-Gardner Construction, the project was separated into three construction phases to accelerate the construction schedule, with Phase 1 beginning before the design and permitting of Phases 2 and 3 were completed. The collaborative approach allowed the team to overcome many design and construction challenges and deliver a design that minimized operating and maintenance costs while meeting current and future performance needs. The new force main pipe was constructed of High-Density Polyethylene (HDPE) for corrosion resistance, and construction included Horizontal Directional Drilling (HDD) installation under the Agua Fria River. 

“The CMAR delivery method and incorporated innovative design and construction techniques focusing on redundancy, flexibility, sustainability, and collaboration allowed us to overcome challenges presented by adjacent development construction, a river crossing, and tight timelines,” said GHD project manager Frederick Tack.

The American Council of Engineering Companies of Arizona Engineering Excellence Awards competition recognizes engineering firms for projects that demonstrate an exceptional degree of innovation, complexity, achievement, and value. The 37th Annual Engineering Excellence Awards Dinner was held on Saturday, September 23, 2017 at the Phoenix Art Museum.

GHD is one of the world’s leading professional services companies operating in the global markets of water, energy and resources, environment, property and buildings, and transportation. Privately owned by our people, we deliver engineering, architecture, environmental and construction services to public and private sector clients across five continents and the Pacific region. Committed to creating lasting community benefit, we connect the knowledge, skill and experience of our 8500 people with innovative practices, technical capabilities and robust systems. See http://www.ghd.com/.

Achen-Gardner Construction is a heavy civil general contractor specializing in wet utility and roadway construction. With more than 28 years in the industry, they have delivered more than 100 Construction Manager at Risk, Job Order Contracting, and Design Build infrastructure projects for a variety of public and private clients in Arizona. They are committed to providing superior pre-construction and construction services and their focus on innovation, equipment and techniques, efficiency, and safety ensures the greatest value for their clients. See http://www.achen.com/.