Following the catastrophic failure of an existing 72-inch force main, LAN was selected to assist the Miami-Dade Water and Sewer Department (MDWASD) as owner’s representative for the preparation of a Design Criteria Package (DCP) for the force main’s rehabilitation or replacement. Initial design-build replacement costs for this project were budgeted around $40 million, assuming cut and cover in this dense urban neighborhood. LAN identified more than $25 million in cost savings, expedited hazardous repairs for the community, and minimized construction impacts of this critical and visible project.

The catastrophic failure of this force main caused a serious health risk and environmental hazard, and the project was expedited to address the public health and safety issues. The existing force main was located under streets in a heavily populated, single-family residential area. Conventional cut-and-cover replacement would have taken much longer, been highly disruptive, and more expensive. The effective use of design-build, with the development of a strong DCP, allowed MDWSD to move quickly with confidence in resolving this problem. LAN provided the necessary services with experience and understanding for this to occur.