Lady Liberty's Water, Sewer Lines to Get Makeover

A project to replace existing water and sewer lines to Liberty Island is underway in New York Harbor.
Lady Liberty's Water, Sewer Lines to Get Makeover
Horizontal directional drilling (HDD) will be used to install separate 2,400-foot-long water and sewer lines through the bedrock of New York Harbor. Three thousand feet of water pipe and 3,000 feet of sewer force main will also be installed within Liberty State Park using pipe bursting techniques.

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Construction has begun on a project to upgrade water and sewer lines serving Liberty Island, site of the Statue of Liberty.

The Jersey City Municipal Utilities Authority provides water and wastewater service to Liberty Island, which sits in Upper New York Bay in Manhattan and is operated by the National Park Service. Hatch Mott MacDonald (HMM) was retained in 2012 to design replacements for the existing water and sewer lines, which were undersized and vulnerable to damage.

Interruption of service would have required closing the island, which receives more than 4 million visitors per year.

The new design includes the use of horizontal directional drilling (HDD) to install separate 2,400-foot-long water and sewer lines through the bedrock of New York Harbor. Three thousand feet of water pipe and 3,000 feet of sewer force main will also be installed within Liberty State Park, using pipe bursting techniques.

Nick DeNichilo, president and CEO of Hatch Mott MacDonald, says, “HMM looks forward to the successful completion of this important project. We are proud to help ensure safe and uninterrupted public access to one of the world’s most popular attractions and significant monuments.”

According to the HMM press release, the project design is challenging due to the extremely limited construction area on Liberty Island. HMM performed eight geotechnical borings to determine the quality of bedrock, recommended the use of conductor casings on each end of the HDD crossings, designed temporary systems to maintain service during construction, obtained necessary permits, and coordinated with Liberty State Park and Liberty Island to maintain visitor access during construction.

Photo: "Statue of Liberty" by -JvL- is licensed under CC BY 2.0



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