March Rehab News: New Austin Wastewater Tunnel, Insituform in Asia, DINJER Heads West and Kiely Wins Sewer Bid

SAK awarded tunneling project, hires new VP [1]
Insituform expands Asian operations [2]
DINJER Heads West [3]
J.F. Kiely wins sewer main installation bid [4]

SAK awarded tunneling project, hires new VP
The city of Austin, TX, has awarded a $31.9 million contract to SAK Construction LLC to construct the 3.5-mile Downtown Wastewater Tunnel project. SAK will construct an 18,600-linear-foot wastewater relief tunnel varying in diameter between 8 and 10 feet, which will accommodate sewer pipe ranging from 54 to 96 inches in diameter. SAK is a national pipeline rehabilitation and tunneling industries contractor headquartered in the St. Louis area.

The Downtown Wastewater Tunnel project will expand the capacity of the wastewater system to accommodate the continued growth and redevelopment of downtown and south Austin. The Downtown Wastewater Tunnel project is managed by the City of Austin Public Works Department. Construction began in January and is scheduled for completion in March 2012.

Founded in 2006, SAK Construction is led by Jerry Shaw, president; Tom Kalishman, chairman; and Robert Affholder, vice chairman. The three SAK leaders are well known for their expertise in trenchless underground technology, including cured-in-place pipe (CIPP) rehabilitation.

In other company news, Steve J. Hirtz has joined the management team at SAK Construction LLC as vice president of rehabilitation operations. Hirtz brings to SAK more than 25 years of experience in cured-in-place pipe (CIPP), tunneling and other trenchless technologies.

Insituform expands Asian operations
Insituform Technologies is acquiring Insitu Envirotech (S.E. Asia) Pty. Ltd., its former licensee in Singapore, for $1.3 million.

Daniel E. Cowan, vice president – Asia Pacific for Insituform, said, “This acquisition further expands Insituform’s trenchless rehabilitation business in Southeast Asia, providing meaningful access to the Singapore and Malaysian rehabilitation markets and bolstering our operations in India, Hong Kong and Australia. The trenchless rehabilitation market in Singapore is experiencing significant growth as a result of a recently-initiated, four-year $295 million rehabilitation program announced by the Public Utility Board, Singapore’s national water agency. Insituform’s proprietary trenchless products, including iPlus Infusion for sewer pipelines and InsituMain for water pipelines, are well suited for this market and should allow Insituform to significantly expand Insitu S.E. Asia’s operations.”

Cowan further commented, “This acquisition also allows Insituform to expand its third-party CIPP tube sales into the Singapore market, which previously had been prohibited by the terms of the exclusive license agreement held by Insitu S.E. Asia. Insituform already has received orders for approximately 80 miles (approximately $1.7 million) of CIPP tube in Singapore. We believe that third-party tube sales will provide a meaningful contribution to this business in 2010 and beyond.”

Insitu S.E. Asia, an ISO 9001:2008 and OSHA 18001:2007 certified company, has provided trenchless rehabilitation services in Singapore for more than 15 years, most recently as a subsidiary of IJM Corporation Berhad, one of the largest contracting companies in Asia.

DINJER Heads West
Engineering firm Black & Veatch has approved Dinjer CMS-10K cementitious mortar and specified Dinjer SG Mastic epoxy for use in Cherry Hills Village Sanitation District’s manhole rehabilitation maintenance and repair contract. WBE Dorcas Inc.’s newest Dinjer certified installer, Quality Pipe Services of Denver, CO, was chosen as the district’s maintenance contractor. Quality Pipe Services began their maintenance and repair contract in June 2009, repairing benches and inverts with Dinjer CMS-10K and applying Dinjer SG Mastic to all newly installed manholes. This maintenance and repairs contract is expected to run through 2010, with annual renewals as budget allows. “We chose to use the Dinjer products due to the ease of application, it’s ability to gain strength and cure quickly, and overall product quality,” said Scott Riley, Quality Pipe Services crew chief.

Quality Pipe Services, a service disabled veteran owned company, was started in 1999 by Scott Boyd. They offer sewer jetting, television inspection, lateral inspection, root removal, pressure testing (air and water), vacuum testing manholes, water samples, deflection testing, leak isolation, and manhole rehabilitation. They currently serve Colorado, Texas, Utah, New Mexico, Wyoming and California.

WBE Dorcas Inc. is a certified woman-owned business specializing in manhole rehabilitation systems. The company is the sole distributor of Dinjer CMS 10K, Dinjer SG Mastic and distributors of Rainstopper Manhole Inserts. Certified installers are located throughout the United States.

J.F. Kiely wins sewer main installation bid
On May 13, 2009 J.F. Kiely Construction Co. won a public bid partially funded by the New Jersey Department of Environmental Protection to install underground utilities. These underground utilities included 5,000 feet of 8-inch irrigation water main, 2,500 feet of 4-inch sanitary forced main and 2,000 feet of conduit. The restoration portion of the project included paving, as well as topsoil and seeding.

The irrigation portion of the project provides the athletic fields with water, and the forced sanitary main provides sewer services for the employees as well as to some of the 500 animals living at the Zoo. Finally, the conduit will assist the Zoo in finalizing their own Internet network.

"Although the original bid called for open trenching, we value engineered the project and determined that not only would directional drilling be more productive, but also less expensive," said John M. Kiely, president of J.F. Kiely Construction Co.

J.F. Kiely Construction Co. offers utility customers a diversified list of services, including the installation of gas, water, electric and sewer. The company specializes in directional drilling, high-pressure tapping, pipe welding and plastic fusion.