Billings 24th Street West Water Main Replacement

When the cast iron water main was installed in 24th Street West in 1959, it was a rural road on the outskirts of Billings, Montana. Nearly 60 years later, 24th Street West is the second busiest arterial street in the city, and the aging water main was undersized and in a deteriorated condition. In 2017, DOWL provided comprehensive design and construction administration services for the replacement of a half-mile of 16-inch and 20-inch PVC mains, including 19 lateral mains, large-diameter services, and fire lines. Due to the high traffic volumes in a major retail corridor, the project was coordinated to be completed almost exclusively at night, allowing for uninterrupted traffic flow and business access during the day. Other project challenges included maintaining continuous water service and building fire sprinkler service to all commercial customers, and designing the pipeline improvements within a corridor congested by other utilities.

Since 1990, DOWL has designed at least 25 major water and sanitary sewer main rehabilitation, replacement, and extension projects for the City of Billings Public Works Department. All projects involve survey, geotechnical investigations, detailed traffic control designs, public outreach, bidding assistance, full-time construction inspection, field and laboratory material testing, staking, and quality assurance.