This water main repair was considerably more challenging than the average. In addition to the challenges, it took us more than four months before the new pipe was installed. The job began like any other job, we were hired to replace a leaking water main. The crew began by digging in the street and one day later they had the entire pipe exposed. The primary issue was that the pipe was less than three feet deep, this opposes the plumbing code.
The water main repair was now placed on hold. The DEP required the property owner to complete an affidavit stating that they will assume responsibility of the shallow pipe. This process required special approvals and was completed within thirty days. We were now ready to proceed with the work, remove our steel road plates and begin installing the pipe.
Our team arrived on site to reserve the parking when we became aware another contractor was working in our excavation. It turns out that a city contractor was working for the MTA and would continue to work for two months. We continued to communicate with the contractor when we were finally made aware we were free to work. When we arrived on site for the pipe replacement we became aware that the other contractor removed our road plates and back-filled all of our work. We now had to start from square one. In addition, the new pipe was being installed through an MTA vault. The MTA inspector required our crew to stay on site and work around the clock for the piping installation.
After two days of continuous digging and piping install, we finally had the job completed. The DEP had arrived on site, inspected the shallow pipe and provided approval.
