Milwaukee Sewer Tunnel Receives APWA Award As Public Works Project Of The Year
Representatives from Black & Veatch, the primary consultant and design engineer for the project; the Milwaukee Metropolitan Sewerage District (MMSD), managing agency; and Shea-Kenny Joint Venture, primary contractor, accepted the award.
When Milwaukee, Wis., faced sewer overflows and basement backups during wet weather as a result of aging and undersized infrastructure, the MMSD formulated a farsighted proposal to accommodate growth, protect water quality and safeguard public health within its 420-square-mile service area. The Northwest Side Relief Sewer was the number-one priority Capital Improvement Project in the district's 2010 Facilities Plan.
"The successful completion of this project is a giant step toward completing our $900 million overflow reduction plan," said Roger Maurer, MMSD Conveyance Section Manager. "Everyone involved in the development of the Northwest Side Relief Sewer pulled together to achieve project goals and earn this prestigious award."
With a cost of more than $125 million, the tunnel took longer than a year to dig and required a machine powerful enough to cut a 22-foot-diameter hole through bedrock. More than seven years of planning, design and construction went into the 7.1-mile sewer tunnel, which serves seven northwestern Milwaukee area communities.
The project demonstrates important strategies to confront capital-intensive sewer overflow challenges, where available funding often falls short and pressure to meet regulatory compliance is intense. The large-scale, multi-functional tunnel both transports and stores wastewater 130 to 180 feet below ground, reducing the need for additional storage facilities. Its design makes shrewd use of the existing system, enabling the community to prosper through future growth and development.
Designed and constructed for maximum groundwater quality protection, the Northwest Side Relief Sewer benefits area residents by providing greatly reduced wet weather overflows and basement flooding; relief to existing interceptor sewers with added system capacity for future growth; 89 million gallons of additional storage to accommodate excess flow; an energy-saving design that fills and drains by gravity, eliminating the need for an additional pump station; and operational simplicity and minimal maintenance requirements. The project also establishes advanced risk management techniques as critical to success in large-scale underground construction.
"Progressive risk management and careful planning added project value for our Milwaukee clients," said Dan McCarthy, President and CEO of the water business of Black & Veatch. "The project team achieved on-schedule, under-budget performance despite the many risks inherent in a tunnel of this magnitude."
APWA Project of the Year awards are presented annually to promote management and administration excellence of public works projects by recognizing alliances between managing agencies, contractors, consultants and their cooperative achievements in various categories. The Milwaukee Northwest Side Relief Sewer earned the award in the "more than $100 million" range of the Environment category.
SOURCE: Black & Veatch