Project: Howard County, pipe strengthening
Location: Howard County, USA.
Client: Howard County
Contract Duration: 23 days

Scope of Works:
• Repair of 23 sections of 36” PCCP pipeline

Project Description:
Howard County, MD receives one third of its water supply by means of the Southwest Transmission Main, a 10-mile long pipeline ranging in size from 66-inch to 36-inch. In 2006, the County conducted a visual and electromagnetic inspection of 3000-ft of its 36-inch pipe as a railroad was going to be built on top of it by CSX Transportation. Structural deficiencies in the pipe could result in a catastrophic failure of the planned railroad and the three existing parallel rail lines. It was found that 23 sections of the inspected 36-inch line had broken wires and were structurally unsound.
Feasibility studies showed that traditional remove-and-replace option for the distressed pipe sections would take 4 to 6 months. With Fibrwrap^®, it could be performed in less than a month, at half the price of the traditional method. Construction of the railroad could not begin until the deficient pipe sections were fully structurally retrofitted.
To meet the critical time constraints, Fibrwrap^® Construction began working on an aggressive 12 hours per day, 7 days per week work schedule. The project was completed in 23 days and within budget. Construction of the train track was begun within 2 days of the completion of the Fibrwrap^® retrofit project.