The design-build rehabilitation of 3.5 miles of a 72-inch sanitary sewer force main was completed along 159th Street as part of the Miami-Dade Water and Sewer Department’s (WASD) Consent Decree Program. After a catastrophic failure of a portion of the force main in 2010, the WASD completed emergency repairs to a 1.5-mile section (between NW 32nd Avenue and NW 17th Avenue). Due to concerns over the remaining sections of the force main, WASD commissioned the Ric-Man Construction/Wade Trim team to continue repairs between NW 17th Avenue and NE 10th Avenue. The design portion was completed in six months with construction completed in five months, prior to the wet season.
A High Density Polyethylene (HDPE) liner system was used to minimize disruption to traffic and residential neighborhoods along the alignment that crosses the Cities of North Miami Beach and Miami Gardens, unincorporated areas of Miami-Dade County, several major highways and a railroad track. Fused into a complete section for each pull, the HDPE was pulled through insertion pits at various lengths, some exceeding 3,000 feet. In addition, 14 manholes that were deteriorated, leaking or structurally unsound, were repaired and sealed.
As the lead design firm, Wade Trim managed the overall design, hydraulic modeling, permitting, construction management and project certification effort, as well as civil/site engineering, maintenance of traffic and development of insertion/pull pit design construction plans. Coordination with numerous municipalities and eight regulatory agencies was required to obtain a total of 11 permits. The restored wastewater line will protect the surrounding community and adjoining canal system for decades to come.
