Thickwood Trunk Sewer—Direct Pipe Installation: Fid-Bau Portal

Thickwood Trunk Sewer—Direct Pipe Installation

Lamont, Christopher / Ross, Mason / Lueke, Jason

The Thickwood Perimeter Sewer Project is a seven phase multiyear project designed to increase the resiliency of the storm and sanitary systems in the Thickwood neighborhood located in Fort McMurray, Alberta. The program includes implementing large diameter trunk sanitary and storm sewer mains throughout the Thickwood neighborhood to address issues with surcharging throughout the system. Traversing this section included crossing beneath the Athabasca River valley slope and large diameter water, sanitary, and oil and gas pipelines. A trenchless solution was deemed necessary to traverse under various critical infrastructure located in the area. The Direct Pipe methodology offered the benefits of the both HDD and microtunneling with additional efficiencies that made the installation viable. Design of the Direct Pipe required a complex geometry including a compound vertical and horizontal curve of different radii through complex stratigraphy of overburden clays, dense sands and gravels, oilsands, and limestone. Tendered, awarded, and constructed in 2019, this project proved challenging from concept through construction of the 470-m-long 1,200-mm diameter steel storm sewer. This paper provides an overview of the project and discuss the challenges and lessons learned in the delivery of this challenging project.