I firmly believe that we should all be good stewards of the environment. Additionally, it’s important to also recognize that infrastructure and their continual improvement is critical to society and our way of life. That’s precisely what excites me about the trenchless technology indus - try: it allows us to construct necessary infrastructure while minimally impacting our communities and the environment. These technologies allow us to cross sensitive areas with minimal to no impact on the environment, and when done properly, are both extremely meaningful and beneficial for our society. Future Ready with Less Disruption Trenchless technology is a series of construction techniques used to install or rehabilitate underground infrastructure – primarily pipelines and underground utilities – with minimal disruption to surface traffic, businesses, residents, and the environment. This technology offers numerous benefits for both clients and com - munities. It minimizes disturbances to the existing environment, as well as traffic impacts and contributes to less disruption in congested urban areas. It also reduces the need for new space underground and problems associated with pipeline routing; requires less overall space underground, which minimizes the chances of interfering with existing utilities or abandoned pipes; requires less exposed work area and is therefore safer for workers, communities, and the environment; sig- nificantly reduces the need for excess spoil removal; and minimizes damage to pavement and disturbances to other utilities. Trenchless Technology inherently supports WSP’s Future Ready® principles, as the methods of installation are resilient and environ- mentally sensitive, and often help to reduce the carbon footprint of the construction project by minimizing impact and reducing spoil removal, while also being capable of dealing with a wide range of constraints and challenges. Digging Achievements WSP recently used trenchless technology to help Indiana and North Carolina construct their first curved microtunnel projects. Microtun - neling includes the use of remotely controlled microtunnel boring machines, which are commonly used to install pipelines less than 96 Innovations and Benefits in the Trenchless Technology Industry Everett Litton, Vice President and National Practice Lead for Trenchless Technology at WSP USA, discusses the upsides of using trenchless technology construction By Everett Litton, PE
Photo: Michael Flanagan, WSP
inches in diameter, and usually too small for manned tunneling opera- tion. While using trenchless technology for these projects is not uncom - mon, curved microtunneling is relatively new within North America and poses greater difficulties that we are now able to overcome. The first curved microtunnel in Indiana — was the State Road 37 (SR37) Improvements Project — included years of collaboration be - tween the cities of Fishers and Noblesville, Hamilton County and the Indiana Department of Transportation. This led to a concentrated effort to address traffic congestion and public safety challenges along SR37 in Hamilton County.
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March 2023
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