The City of Lawrence, KS, quickly investigated the extent of the damage and the cause of the 1,110-foot steel pipeline to determine the feasibility and cost-effectiveness of restoring the pipeline to service and to identify one or more solutions. The city’s consultants evaluated a wide range of trenchless solutions and recommended the flexible fabric-reinforced pipe (FFRP) technology “Primus Line® Rehab” as the best rehabilitation option.
With the 20-inch water main running under a bridge spanning the Kansas River, city engineers were faced with a difficult and potentially expensive conventional replacement. As a result, the decision was made to look for a “pipe lining” option to rehabilitate the pipeline instead of conventional replacement.
Engineers contacted Primus Line whose representatives presented the medium-pressure Primus Liner to the city engineers, and after several meetings, the city decided to add Primus Line® Rehab to its specifications as the method for rehabilitating the pipeline.
Due to the location of the water main under a bridge, access to deploy the liner at each end of the main was extremely limited. The contractor Hill Services, Inc. developed a system of rollers and pulleys to “reverse deploy” the Primus liner from the material spool, up the embankment under the bridge, and then back into the water main. To do so, a 10-ton capstan winch to pull the liner into the pipeline from the opposite side of the river was used.
Despite the difficult installation, the liner was successfully installed, pressure tested and approved by city inspectors.
