To replace aging water main, increase capacity, and prepare for future infrastructure improvements, the City of Miami Beach upsized 1,200 LF of water main along 41st Street and across the Indian Creek Waterway. Located 10 miles east of the Miami International Airport, the project site is a high tourism area within FDOT right-of-way (ROW) that offers one of few access points to the beach. As prime designer, Wade Trim led a team of subconsultants in geotechnical, survey, utility, and maintenance of traffic (MOT) work.

From Pine Tree Drive to Collins Avenue, 16-inch, cast iron water main that was attached to the 41st Street Bridge was replaced with 20-inch HDPE water main. Key design challenges included a compound curve, HDD alignment due to the ROW limitations and a congested utility corridor. Additionally, the HDD profile navigated a challenging soil-rock interface, while aligning with the bridge and avoiding its substructure and pilings. Horizontal directional drilling (HDD) was used to construct the waterway crossing, and the east and west tie-in points were installed via open-cut construction.

Maintaining site access for residents, tourists, and emergency vehicles during construction was paramount. Further, the parking entrance for multiple residential buildings was within the MOT limits. This required tight staging, drilling, and pipe-fusing areas at either end of the project, along with night work for the pipe pullback operation within 200 feet of the beach. In addition, the HDD machine was placed on the west side of 41st Street to maintain beach access. Permitting was facilitated through multiple departments from FDOT, USACE, RER, and FDEP.

Stakeholder coordination and permitting were extensive to avoid concurrent projects; stay within federal, local, and state requirements; and prepare for projects on the City’s horizon. Ongoing water main replacement projects needed to tie into the new 41st Street water main, and numerous upcoming projects require the water main to be complete.

Awards:
Cuban-American Association of Civil Engineers (CAACE) 2024 Project of the Year (Category I – Under $10 million)
American Public Works Association (APWA) 2025 Project of the Year – Water/Wastewater ($2 million – $5 million)