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Conduit 94 Reflections on an Interstate Sinkhole
Author(s) -
Watt Joe
Publication year - 2008
Publication title -
opflow
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
eISSN - 1551-8701
pISSN - 0149-8029
DOI - 10.1002/j.1551-8701.2008.tb01991.x
Subject(s) - sinkhole , electrical conduit , timeline , forensic engineering , work (physics) , engineering , geology , archaeology , history , karst , telecommunications , mechanical engineering
A catastrophic water main failure occurred when a 66‐in. steel/concrete pipe ruptured beneath heavily traveled Interstate 25 in Denver, Colorado, shortly before rush hour on Feb. 7, 2008, creating a 16‐ft‐deep sinkhole. During the next 72 hours, Denver Water crews, working 12 hour shifts, excavated around Conduit 94, removed and replaced the ruptured section, buried the new pipe in self‐compacting flowable backfill material, and worked with the Colorado Department of Transportation to get traffic moving again. Within three days, all repairs were completed. The article includes a timeline of the work involved in the repair, and interviews with key personnel that describe their part of the effort and what they learned from it.