Replacing Dilapidated Lines in the City of Buffalo

Located in Leon County, the City of Buffalo has flourished as a community situated on I-45 between Houston and Dallas. For nearly 15 years, GLS has been able to provide professional services to the City including the completion of the TCDP (Texas Community Development Program) Sewer Project. For this project, the scope of work included the replacement of sewer lines as well as dilapidated manholes. The City constantly seeks to update and improve the quality of life in their community and recognized that the City's infrastructure needed attention in the low to moderate income areas.

The initial step taken for this project was to develop a scope of work and budget. GLS met with all parties involved including Grantworks, Mayor, and Public Works Director to assess the current infrastructure. Our firm developed the budget as well as Activities Map and once the project was funded, we performed the design survey and developed construction plans. TCEQ approval was obtained for construction and bidding commenced for the project. GLS was able to assist throughout the project from construction administration to the pre-construction meeting, period inspections, construction closeout, and preparation of As-Builts.

All project goals were met within the budget and ahead of schedule. Funded by the Texas Community Development Program with a Community Development Block Grant (CDBG) for replacement of sanitary sewer lines which were severely rundown and damaged. The lines replaced ran along the north side of US Highway 79 and south of Union Pacific Railroad.

PROJECT HIGHLIGHTS

• 1200 LF +/- L6" and 8"

• Manhole Replacement and Rehabilitation

• Sewer Line Replacement

• Construction Phasing Plans

• Private Utility Coordination

• Traffic Control Plans

GLS was the design engineer and surveyor for the project. The surveying portion included a topographic design survey containing exact locations of utilities when excavated by the utility owners. A civil design was provided by GLS for the location of the water and sewer facilities. Phasing and traffic control plans were developed and the project bidding was administered by TxDOT. The construction conditions in the work area were severely congested with unknown utilities, however GLS was available for site visits to resolve any conflicts and make adjustments to ensure construction operations were not disrupted.

"As the design engineer, I worked closely with the Mayor and other members of the City to select projects that would remain within their budget, but would also ensure that the most pressing issues were being attended to. Due to the condition of the sewer lines and manholes in the area that was replaced, we decided that the rehabilitation of those lines would be the focus of the project." - James Light, P.E., Project Manager