Woodroffe, N J A and Ariaratnam, S T (2009) Contractor perspective on factors for evaluating installation options for small-diameter utilities. Journal of Construction Engineering and Management, 135(2), pp. 75-87. ISSN 0733-9364
Abstract
Buried municipal infrastructure is rapidly expanding due to increased urbanization. Subsequently, engineers and contractors are faced with having to designate the most effective method of installing new buried infrastructure while being mindful of cost considerations. In order to determine the most feasible underground construction method, various risks and cost factors must be assessed and analyzed. A comprehensive survey was conducted to solicit input from 28 contractors in various geographical regions throughout the United States and Canada. The intent was to determine specific risk factors and their inherent impacts, as well as to better understand cost comparison between horizontal directional drilling and traditional open-cut construction methods. This paper is relevant to practitioners and researchers because it identifies and describes risks and cost factors from a contractor perspective that can be used for evaluating installation options for small diameter pipelines in an urban environment.
| Item Type: | Article |
|---|---|
| Uncontrolled Keywords: | contractors; drilling; infrastructure; pipelines; underground structures |
| Index terms: | survey, risk factor, urban environment, pipeline, underground construction, urbanization, engineer, construction method, practitioner, underground structure, drilling, cost factor, Canada, United States, option, utilities |
| Subjects: | urban sustainability, environmental hazards, urban planning, profession, Geography, practitioner, economics, geotechnical engineering, data collection methods, building construction, decision analysis, infrastructure and transport systems, construction type |
| Topics: | Engineering Principles, Sustainability, Research Practice, Roles and Professions, Risk Management, Site Management, Urban Studies, Geographical Context, Cost Management, Governance, Construction Technology |
| Descriptive scope: | 3 PCE |
N.B. Descriptive scope is a count of how many of the five facets of empirical research are indicated by the words used in title, abstract and keywords. It is not intended as a judgement on the research; merely a count of the kind of word we would expect to indicate Phenomenon, Concepts, Theoretical framing, Empirical techniques, Analytical techniques. If all five are present, then a code of “5 PCTEA” will indicate this. If you feel the coding for this record is questionable, we welcome discussion around the terms we matched or the way we categorized them. The facet you would expect may not be coded, or a facet may be coded inappropriately. This can also bear on a larger question, of which facets should be treated as defining in construction management research. Please get in touch, and we will look at it. More details here