July 2021 Vol. 76 No. 7

By Robert Carpenter, Editor-in-Chief Sometimes, I like to rattle around in the old attic that is my brain.  This year, 2021, marks an auspicious occasion for Underground Construction magazine. We’re celebrating our 75th anni..

Broadband Expansion Plan Approved for Two West Virginia Counties  West Virginia officials approved a $61.3 million broadband infrastructure plan to build fiber lines in Logan and Mingo counties.  The state Public Service Commission announced it approved the application from Appalachian Power and W..

By Stephen Barlas, Washington D.C. Editor The Federal Energy Regulatory Commission (FERC) keeps producing angst among gas pipeline developers with two recent decisions having to do with rehearing demands from pipeline opponents. Both reflect Chairman  Richard Glick’s intention to give new leverage ..

By Robert Carpenter, Editor-in-Chief From its humble beginnings as a monthly newsletter for pipeline construction to the primary news and information source for all sectors of the underground infrastructure market, for 75 years Underground Construction magazine has been a consistent and constant fo..

By Cathy Schmermund, Contributing Editor The “wild ride” of the 1990s was tame compared to what the underground construction industry experienced during the 2000s.  As the new millennium began, the economy was robust and workloads were heavy in virtually every area of underground utility construct..

By Daniel Shumate, Managing Director, FMI Capital Advisors Inc. While the underground construction industry performed admirably throughout 2020 and into the second quarter of 2021, there is an air of uncertainty for what the second half of 2021 will bring. While the challenges to the oil and gas ma..

By Jeff Griffin, Senior Editor The year 2020 and even through the first half of 2021 was a period of challenges and adjustments for members of the  Pipe Line Contractors Association.  The worldwide Covid 19 pandemic limited association events and forced adjustments on every level, said Kelly Osbor..

Ask Chris LaCroix what his crews have found in the storm and sanitary sewers of the city of Lake Charles, La., and you’ll get a wide range of answers.  “We’ve found a little bit of everything down there,” said LaCroix, chief ..

PPI Honors Industry Projects  The Plastics Pipe Institute Inc. (PPI), the major North American trade association representing the plastic pipe industry, named its Projects of the Year. Winning projects in the five categories were predominantly underground infrastructure related.  Building & Constr..

Hobas Pipe Proves Good Fit for Providence Water Sliplining  Since a 1996 rupture of a 102-inch-diameter pipe raised concerns about the structural integrity of a 9.5-mile aqueduct supplying water to about 600,000 customers in Rhode Island, Providence Water has embarked on a systematic and comprehens..

By Jeff Griffin, Senior Editor InnerCure Technologies Inc. has introduced a new technology to stop leaks at sewer mainline/lateral connections.  The InnerCure system consists of a fiberglass or felt lining material, a patented ring that provides a guide to position the lateral connection behind th..

Hobas Introduces Corrosion-Resistant, Leak-Free Manhole System  For more than 30 years, Hobas has manufactured pipe and fittings, including tee bases and risers. Finally, Hobas offers what was missing, topping it off with a fiberglass-reinforced, watertight, structural manhole system.  The complet..