Selecting the Best Pipeline Route Based on Facts Not Feelings: Fid-Bau Portal

Selecting the Best Pipeline Route Based on Facts Not Feelings

Hardin, Drew / Bridges, Glenn / Rundell, Don

This paper presents a case study of a route evaluation and selection process for a 78-inch diameter raw water pipeline near a major metropolitan area in central Texas. The approach used by the project team during preliminary design of the pipeline was developed to take feelings and interpretations out of the route selection process as much as possible. A decision analysis software program was used in evaluating four alternative pipeline routes, ranging in length from 28,000 feet to 42,000 feet. Portions of the alternative routes extended through environmentally-sensitive habitat, road right-of-way, state highway crossings, relatively narrow and congested construction corridors, a lake crossing, suburban neighborhoods and steep topography. These and other differences between the alternative routes made it necessary for the evaluation and selection process to be based on quantifiable criteria that could be readily defended instead of emotions and feelings of stakeholders, owners, and engineers involved. The methodology used in identifying applicable evaluation criteria, establishing a quantitative rating system, and developing an unbiased ranking of the importance of each criterion will be discussed in this paper. Tabular and graphical presentations of data and numeric ranking scores will be included as examples to show how facts and not feelings should be used to select the best route for linear pipeline projects.