Our Services
Construction Management (CM), Design/Build and Rehabilitation of your utility assets. We work with public and private clients to install Water, Sewer & Reclaim Mains, Fiber Optics, and Power Delivery, in additional to Natural Gas pipelines, and specialty HDD construction.
Client: City of Winter Haven, FL
Project: New Reclaimed WM, Master FM Replacement, & Pollard Road WTP: Phase I WM
Project Description
The scope of work for this project included installing 52,900 LF of 24-inch HDPE and PVC reclaimed water & force mains, along with a new 16-inch water main. In addition to the new mains, we installed 23,000 LF of new 4-inch HDPE fiber optic casing and pulled 144 count fiber through an inner-duct product.
Construction methods included open cut, approximately 19,000 LF of HDD, and a triple jack & bore crossing of triple CSX rail lines.
Because of a rush in the real estate market that began in 2020, properties were changing hands very quickly. This caused the loss of a pending utility easement when the new owner would not agree to it. The only work around solution was to utilize a 10-foot wide FDOT easement, and to stack a 24-inch FM and a 24-inch RCM vertically, rather than horizontally, to prevent encroachment. These dual stacked bores were elongated to 3,000 LF each to prevent coming up in the middle of a very active roadway, and required a 1,000 foot radius to follow the curvature of the road.
The project required extensive MOT, coordination with Polk County Schools to accommodate bus routes, working around multiple residential developments in active construction along the new pipeline route, incorporating standards & restrictions imposed by the Canal Control District responsible for Lake Lulu and its tributaries, and working around the logistical operations of a national roofing manufacturer while also consolidating multiple of their lift stations and tying them into the new force main.
Project Description
As part of the City’s stormwater consolidation plan along Gulf Shore Blvd, DBE was contracted to install dual offshore 30-inch Fusible PVC discharge pipelines into the Gulf of Mexico. The twin 1,100 LF pipelines are being installed in conjunction with a pump station (by others) to pump treated stormwater 900 feet offshore at the ocean bottom, so numerous above-ground pipe gaggles can be removed along Naples Beach.
DBE drilled & reamed both pilot holes from land, but used another drill rig stationed on a jack-up barge offshore to pull the pipe into position.
Project Description
DBE undertook this project as a Construction Manager by changing the initial design intent for a duct bank, which included conventional trenching to install eight (8) each, 8-inch HDPE conduits through Type A soil conditions, encase them in grout, and require extensive dewatering into sensitive wetlands. To significantly lower project costs, expedite permitting & overall progress, DBE worked with the Owner to convert the design to use HDD for the installation, which resulted in adding 3 additional 8-inch conduits for a total of 11 in parallel.
This approach allowed us to use the FDEP Generic Permit for partial dewatering of only our connection points, which is where we set three (3) each 10-feet deep x 30-feet long concrete vaults. By using HDD to install the conduit pipes, all grouting was removed from the scope. To comply with OSHA standards for working below water, we hired a certified dive team that assisted us in disconnecting rigging straps from anchor points as we installed the vault segments.
Inside the vault on one side, DBE installed a multi-tiered Uni-Strut system where cables were pulled & spliced together as they entered from each end.
All work was performed between September 2022 – January 2023, where DBE installed 101,235 LF of 8-inch HDPE conduit pipes, set three very large vaults, pulled & spliced cable for others to energize, and restored the site including asphalt paving.
Client: City of Fort Lauderdale
Project: Bayshore Drive Intracoastal Force Main Crossing Design-Build
Project Description
This project included a total of 4,400 LF of new 20-inch HDPE force main installed by HDD methods along NE 9th Street between Middle River Drive and Intracoastal Drive, where we then crossed the Intracoastal Waterway with dual 14-inch HDPE pipelines pulled simultaneously through a single 30-inch borehole with multiple compound turns across a 750 LF span, beneath sea walls. On the east side of the subaqueous crossing, the bore had to be placed within a 5-foot utility easement before avoiding an existing duct bank upon exit.
On either side of the subaqueous crossing, the dual 14-inch pipelines were split off into by-passable lines with butterfly valves before connecting into an existing 18-inch force main on Bayshore Drive. The by-pass innovation provided our client with 2 resilient lines that cross the waterway so they were no longer limited to a single pipe during an emergency.
The entire project was constructed using thermally butt-fused HDPE pipe and fittings, thereby providing up to a 100-year service life, aligning with City resiliency goals and minimal maintenance.
Client: City of Fort Lauderdale
Project: Emergency Redundant 48-inch Force Main Replacement Progressive Design-Build
Project Description
In December 2019, the City experienced multiple catastrophic force main breaks along a 7.5 mile DIP transmission pipeline. After 10 breaks send millions of gallons of sewage into streets and waterways, the City rushed to accept Progressive Design-Build proposals for immediate construction of a new redundant force main.
DBE was asked to join the Murphy Pipeline / Chen Moore Team to accommodate the City’s desire for trenchless construction methods on the northern spread.
Our scope of work was to install 17,000 LF of 48-inch DR13.5 DIPS HDPE pipe divided among 8 drill shots, with a minimum distance of 1,300 LF and a maximum of approximately 3,500 LF beneath Sunrise Blvd (SR-838).
Average depth of terrestrial crossings were on the order of 45-56 feet below grade. One of the shots was a subaqueous crossing of the New River.
Project Description
The City of Richmond Hill, Georgia released a multi-mile force main upgrade project that included numerous HDD segments. The HDD subcontractor was able to successfully install all the bores but 1 beneath a wetland in unconsolidated soils on the side of Interstate-95. DBE was requested to mobilize a drill with higher torque to re-drill & ream the hole before pulling in the 16-inch diameter 3,740 LF Fusible PVC pipe segment.
Project Description
After a failure of the existing aged submarine cable, DBE was contracted to replace Feeder #8 beneath the Halifax River in Daytona Beach, FL. The work consisted of the subaqueous installation of 5,298 LF of 16-inch DR-7 HDPE by HDD methods bringing power from the mainland to a new distribution pole on the beach side.
What made the project unique was that across a horizontal place, the 90 foot deep bore path had to follow a submerged land easement that deviated approximately 1,000 LF to the North and South of a straight centerline, where the plan view slightly resembles an S placed on its side.
On the west side a new vault was installed at the bore entry, and on the east side a new cable was left for installation at a newly installed concrete utility pole.
Project Description
The scope of work specified herein for the installation of approximately 3,600 LF of thirty inch (30”) PVC force main (via open cut) and 6,321 LF of thirty-six inch (36”) HDPE force main (via horizontal directional drill), North from a thirty-six inch (36”) connection stub out at the I-95/Busch Dr. intersection, parallel to I-95, and connect to an existing (dry line) twenty inch (20”) FM located within the existing JEA T-Line Corridor. The new thirty inch (30”) force main is an integral piece of the North sewer grid master plan.
In addition, there was approximately 256 LF of eight inch (8”) HDPE fire hydrant lead installed (via horizontal directional drill) from the south side to the north side of Busch Drive for a new fire hydrant to be located within the northeast corner of Busch Drive and I-95 to provide water for the directional drilling and construction operations.
The work was within Anheuser Busch property easements, FDOT Busch Drive Right of Way, FDOT I-95 Limited Access Right-of-Way, and JEA T-Line.
Client: Miami-Dade County / David Mancini & Sons, Inc.
Project: Port of Miami Dual 30” Water Mains
Project Description
As a sub-contractor, DBE performed the subaqueous installation of dual 30” and 12” HDPE water mains spanning 2000 LF each. These four (4) bores provide critical water supply to the port island from the mainland in Miami. From there, the water is conveyed by sub-sea pipeline to Fisher Island, an affluent and ecologically sensitive environment off the coast in Biscayne Bay.
Client: Layne Heavy Civil / City of Boynton Beach
Project: Boynton Raw Water Main Interconnect Section C
Project Description
As a specialty sub-contractor to Layne Heavy Civil, DBE performed the installation of 3 large-diameter bores totaling ~5500 LF of 42” HDPE. The shots were 2600, 1300 and 1600 linear feet respectively. To tie-in the bores, open cut construction was required totaling ~750 LF of 36”, 24”, 20”, 18” and 12” pipe segments, including installation of gate valves, fittings and schedule 40 conduit with electrical pull boxes.