Presentation Description:
The City of Fort Lauderdale undertook the installation of a 60-inch redundant effluent force main at the George T. Lohmeyer Wastewater Treatment Plant to comply with the Florida Department of Environmental Protection (FDEP) Consent Decree. Using a design-build approach with phased construction and value engineering, the project combined trenchless and traditional methods: a microtunnel installation along Eisenhower Boulevard and SE 20th Street, followed by open-cut construction through Port Everglades and City property.
The alignment required crossings beneath fuel lines, gas lines, storm drainage structures, and other utilities, with utility relocations necessary for microtunnel shaft construction. The contractor faced complex challenges, including a constrained work zone in a contaminated area, high-security restrictions, proximity to FPL power lines, and 24-hour operations.
Additional measures included roadway widening to maintain two lanes in each direction, traffic management in a high-volume corridor, coordination with adjacent hotel and bypass road projects, and extensive stakeholder engagement with Broward County, Port Everglades, the Convention Center, and Port Terminal. The work also required multiple permitting approvals.
This presentation highlights practical lessons learned in microtunneling, resolving utility conflicts, and stakeholder coordination, offering guidance for delivering large-scale infrastructure projects in dense urban environments.
Presenters:
Freddy Betancourt has over 25 years of professional engineering experience in a variety of municipal water, wastewater and reclaimed water projects including transmission, collection, distribution and treatment. Experience with national and international linear conveyance projects with design, rehabilitation, construction and emergency services.
Shari Ramirez is a Professional Engineer with 20 years of experience in design of water and wastewater projects. She has been an Engineer of Record / Project Manager for multiple distribution and transmission pipeline projects installed via traditional open cut and trenchless technology methods. Shari has designed over 100 miles of pipes up to 60-inches in diameter.
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