Underground Construction - July 2021 - 20

Another trend was increased emphasis on damage prevention
and safety. Vacuum excavating became an essential damage
prevention tool that performed potholing.
The first classes of NASSCO Pipeline Assessment Certification
Program (PACP) were conducted in 2002. They introduced
new standards for inspecting and assessing the condition of
the nation's sanitary sewer pipelines.
Comeback
In 2004, the economic rebound seemed to be serious and
sustained, bringing fundamental change to the underground
construction industry.
Energy pipeline construction projects were on more solid
financial footing, with a higher probability of actually being
built and a rapid rise in energy prices. The electric segment was
wading through deregulation and beginning to grow.
Public works (sewer & water) projects were actually letting
bids and providing large amounts of work. HDD continued to
diversify and adapt.
Technology advancements and refinements included:
* Unique robotic cutter, powered by high-pressure water
rather than a traditional pneumatic tool, was more
powerful and able to cut more effectively than
conventional equipment.
* Fully hydraulic bucket trencher was the first significant
design change since the original model. Contractors
using it reported " impressive production figures without
the maintenance issues inherent in mechanical bucket
machines. There was no shocking and jarring of the machine
during trenching, no stress fracturing, and the flywheel
absorbed all shock loads. "
* Installation of a 60-foot tunnel underneath a rail line,
to facilitate a new bike path, ranked as the largest-diameter
pipe ram completed to-date.
In 2005, recovery from the recession was in full swing.
Telecom emerged smarter and continued to mature as
diversified digital companies. Fiber-to-the-premises (FTTP)
projects dramatically increased their activity level. Comcast,
the nation's largest cable company, announced entry into
the national telephone market, becoming the biggest single
competitive threat to the regional Bell operating companies.
Manassas, Va., a Washington, D.C., suburb, was the first
U.S. city to make broadband over power lines (BPL) technology
available on a city-wide basis. Customers were connected
to broadband through any electrical cable outlet with a BPL
modem; an ethernet cable connected the modem to a computer,
router or other device.
2006 was a very strong year for underground infrastructure.
It was also a changed world; the difference between telcos
and cable companies was disappearing and " digital media "
companies emerged.
Reflecting the prominence of the internet in our culture, eBay
20 JULY 2021 | UCONonline.com
started including underground utility construction equipment.
However, 2007 was a bit of an enigma. Some aspects of the
underground construction and rehabilitation market had cooled
slightly from their torrid 2006 pace, but most niches remained
quite healthy.
A striking trend in the public works sector was a huge jump
in water rehabilitation with $1.2 billion in projected work.
Also in 2007, the 811 nationwide number for contractors
and others to call and request locates for buried pipe and cables
was fully implemented. Part of the Common Ground Alliance
" Call before you dig " branding program, the 811 awareness
effort has been credited with being even more successful
than most had dreamed possible.
Congress created the Pipeline and Hazardous Materials
Safety Administration (PHMSA) and Research and Innovative
Technologies Administration to replace the eliminated Research
and Special Programs Administration (RSPA).
Recession redux
Starting in 2008, the world's economy began to slip again and
by the end of 2009, completely tanked, dragging some of the
underground construction work to a standstill.
Known as the " Great Recession, " it was even more drawn out
than the earlier recession. However, it didn't have a widespread
impact on the entire industry. Hardest hit was municipal sewer
and water plans, which struggled with severe budget shortfalls
until relief finally came in 2015 - five years after the recession
was declared ended.
Some industry segments prospered, largely due to the
diversification and flexibility lessons learned from the early
2000s recession.
A bright spot was rehabilitation market, which maintained
at least some growth throughout the recession. Even more, its
steady evolution over the past 30 years, from a few, primary
technologies to a plethora of affordable options, played a
critical role in keeping underground infrastructure operating at
maximum efficiency.
During the Great Recession, those options have been life
savers for many municipalities and utilities battling tight
budgets, consent decrees, public health concerns, ruptured
pipe emergencies and more.
Another " silver lining " was HDD. Through all the market
changes, HDD has survived and prospered, leaving an
indelible impact on every aspect of the construction market -
big applications and small.
This diversification has played a key role for many success
stories. Tooling and equipment also continue to be refined.
Barriers to construction crumbles and in many instances,
jobs previously thought impossible by virtually any technology,
are now being designed for HDD.
Water applications and gas distribution continued to be huge
market applications for directional drilling. *
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Underground Construction - July 2021

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