The City of Susanville, California wanted to provide to its residents previously unavailable natural gas. The City contracted with Sunrise to provide design and construction management for this project. From the initial feasibility study in November of 1999 to the actual system startup in November of 2001 Sunrise worked to develop a project that would quickly fill the needs of the City.
Susanville, with assistance from Sunrise, affected great changes in the City with this project. Some of the highlights are as follows:
Much of the gas line being installed was located in parts of the City where right-of-way surfaces were improved. To minimize damage to these surfaces Horizontal Directional Drilling (HDD) was utilized. This installation method allows pipelines to be installed by boring rather than open cutting a trench.
Approximately 1/3 of the plastic mainline and 65% of the customer service line footage was installed by HDD methods. 7,100 feet of the 6 inch steel pipeline was installed by directional drilling, including an 800 foot continuous bore beneath the railroad and Brockman Sough. A 1,200 foot bore near the High Desert Correctional Facility allowed the installation of pipeline in an area that was congested with existing utilities and a narrow construction right-of-way.
Sunrise provided all construction administration services for the gas distribution system. The design included two types of pipe being laid concurrently by two different contractors. Sunrise was responsible for overseeing the work of both these contractors. To provide steady supervision, Sunrise provided an on-site engineer with up to five additional inspectors to ensure the quality of the work that was being performed. The Sunrise survey team was also on site to establish right-of-way and record as-builts.
Because this construction was completed in previously developed areas of the city, design and construction management entailed working with existing utilities and also consideration the everyday needs of local residents.
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