ABSTRACT
Most of the sewer systems in the US were constructed during the turn of the 20th century and are in immediate need of rehabilitation because of degradation due to aging, demand, misuse and neglect. Sewers are mostly located in high population density areas and because of that the traditional open trench cutting of roads and streets may be impractical and sometimes impossible. Trenchless technology (TT) consists of a wide range of methods, materials, and equipment to install new or rehabilitate existing underground pipeline and utility systems in a minimally invasive manner. Ultimately however, most decisions are made based on the economics with a mindful eye on the risks of success or failure associated with competing technologies. This paper will describe a decision support model developed by the authors, used in the assessment of “risk” in the context of trenchless construction as well as managing the identified risks in a cost-effective manner. This paper will present a case study to verify the effectiveness of the model in selection of trenchless techniques for the renewal of underground sewer system.
