Magazine
Business news: Vermeer alliance, NAXSA safety push, PODS data upgrade, Hultec expansion
This month’s Business news highlights key industry moves, including Vermeer’s new alliance with Sharewell HDD, NAXSA’s nationwide Shore Up for Safety Week, PODS’ SCADA Link module release, Hultec’s new Texas facility, AWWA’s updated C901 standard, Hyundai’s equipment merger plans, McElroy’s congressional visit, and Bobcat’s workplace recognition.
Respirators: Proper selection and fitting
Personal protective equipment (PPE) for employees exists to prevent injury and illness. This goal can only happen when the proper equipment is chosen and properly fitted to the employee. Respiratory protection is one type of PPE designed for this purpose.
SIPP watermain lining in North America
In 1982, trials for watermain pipe rehabilitation commenced in the United Kingdom using the spray-in-place pipe (SIPP) lining method with slow-cure epoxy. In the early 1990s, Dr. Ian Robinson at E Woods developed a SIPP lining material with a 16-hour cure time. Subsequently, over 100 SIPP rigs were used to rehabilitate watermains across the United Kingdom.
Double-stacking manhole liners to rehab, stop corrosion in Midland, TX
It is said that life imitates art, and in every epic story, there is a hero, a villain, a victim and a guide. In this story, the villain is corrosion caused by hydrogen sulfide gas, victimizing the manholes in Midland, Texas; the guide, perhaps, is Madewell Products Corporation and its products being used to rehabilitate the manholes.
Celebrate excellence: Underground Infrastructure Awards now open for submissions
Celebrate innovation in underground infrastructure. Submit your project for the 2025 UI Awards, honoring excellence in HDD, fiber, water, sewer, gas, power, asset management, and emerging technologies.
Utility & communications construction update
Daniel Shumate, Managing Director, FMI Capital Advisors Inc. If you happened to be Rip Van Winkle and fell asleep at the beginning of 2025 and awoke in July, you would have no idea of the volatility that the public markets experienced and the global confl..
CIPP lining strengthens 7,700-foot Fox River interceptor in Wisconsin
A Wisconsin sewer district completed a complex CIPP lining project beneath the Fox River, restoring more than 7,700 feet of interceptor pipe. The work, carried out entirely from barges, overcame unique challenges posed by the riverbed and urban setting.
30th CIGMAT conference focuses on flooding, energy and infrastructure resilience
Industry leaders, engineers and researchers gathered in Houston for the 30th CIGMAT Conference to confront challenges in energy, flooding and urban infrastructure. Key sessions spotlighted innovative solutions — from smart cement to large-scale water treatment projects — shaping the future of resilient cities.
Plan for single Americas energy network gains momentum amid political push
Plans are taking shape to link power grids across the Americas — a project that could span from Alaska to Patagonia and reshape the continent’s energy future. Political leaders are reviving interconnection efforts as renewable power surpluses in Latin America grow.
Newsline: Key pipeline rulings, major water funding, lead pipe struggles and more
Colorado judge clears $485 million pipeline construction, Texas approves $20 billion water package, Flint still battling lead pipe backlog, North Dakota plans 344-mile gas pipeline, Alabama man survives 500-foot drainage pipe ordeal — all in the latest issue of Underground Infrastructure’s Newsline!
Letter to the Editor: Missing as-built records fuel underground utility strike risks
A trenchless services expert weighs in on the ongoing debate over underground utility strikes, pointing to a critical issue many in the industry overlook: incomplete as-built documentation. Could addressing this gap be the key to preventing future strikes?
Editor’s Log: EPA funding cuts put sewer, water infrastructure at risk
Editor-in-Chief Robert Carpenter examines how proposed EPA budget cuts could jeopardize key sewer and water funding programs, leaving cities scrambling as federal support dwindles.
Azuria expands pipeline rehabilitation services with BLD acquisition
Azuria Water Solutions has acquired BLD Services, a major U.S. pipeline rehabilitation company known for CIPP lateral liners and underground utilities work across the Gulf Coast and Eastern regions. The deal strengthens Azuria’s water infrastructure capabilities nationwide.
New Products: Latest tools and technology for underground infrastructure crews
United Rentals rolls out customizable mobile office packages; Vermeer debuts microtrencher for fiber installs; Guzzler’s vacuum unit speeds trenching in Arizona; CASE, Yanmar, John Deere launch new excavators and engines — all in this month’s New Products from Underground Infrastructure!
New products: Latest industry developments
Subsite Contractors can more easily and reliably run short shots of fiber lines and other underground utilities using the new M10 HDD guidance beacon from Subsite.. M10 is designed for use with compact Ditch Witch horizontal directional drills (HDDs) like ..
Newsline: Latest industry developments
$227 million Garnet Valley water project advances in Nevada The Southern Nevada Water Authority (SNWA) board has approved $227 million in construction contracts for a major infrastructure project that will support development at the Apex Industrial Complex in North Las Vegas. The Garnet Valley..
HDD Association tackles industry issues, needs for small, large drillers
Surprisingly, it’s been more challenging than expected to prove to company owners that there’s value in correctly and safely performing horizontal directional drilling (HDD), observed Don Riggs, long-time owner/operator and HDD advocate. For the last two years, Riggs has served as HDDA’s inaugural president, and one of the top priorities of this new organization has been safety-focused education and training.
Combining hand tunneling, HDD for El Paso sewer job
To accommodate new residential development in El Paso, Texas, crews have been working for more than a year on a project to install a 54-inch sewer force main for El Paso Water. The plan was to complete the installation by hand tunneling – until complications necessitated the addition of horizontal directional drilling (HDD).
PHMSA publishes advisory bulletin on pipeline safety
Perhaps in an effort to convince Congress to lay off, the Pipeline and Hazardous Materials Safety Administration (PHMSA) just issued an advisory bulletin to promote the implementation of pipeline safety management systems (PSMS) by regulated pipeline owners and operators.
Choosing the best boom for vacuum excavators
A clean sewer system creates a healthier community. Sewer cleaners are used to efficiently remove blockages and prevent buildup. Breaking up blockages often demands a combination approach that includes the use of a boom.
Dual conductor barrels keep HDD interceptor project on target
In a complex HDD interceptor crossing, Amici Engineering Contractors used telescoping conductor barrels and pneumatic pipe ramming to navigate poor soils and ensure successful bore alignment. The 7,600-foot reclaimed water main installation along a waterway was completed with precision using multi-stage casing and reaming techniques.
Fiber drives HDD growth as big-rig pipeline work returns
Underground Infrastructure's 27th Annual HDD Survey shows strong fiber-driven growth for small and mid-sized drill rigs, while large rig activity is rebounding as pipeline work picks back up across the U.S. Contractors remain optimistic, despite continued labor pressures and rising competition.
HDD industry faces challenges as cities push back on fiber drilling disruptions
As fiber installation accelerates across the U.S., some cities are banning HDD due to rising incidents of utility strikes and safety risks. This month's editor’s log explores how industry veterans and the HDDA are working to protect the future of directional drilling through safety, training, and a cultural shift.
Preparing brick masonry manholes for bonded rehabilitation systems
Brick masonry manholes made from clay or shale brick and laid with portland-cement mortar are still used in North America. Although typically historical, they are often found in manhole rehabilitation projects.
New partnerships expand trenchless technology reach in North America
SIPP Americas has secured exclusive rights to distribute Resiline pipe rehabilitation products across North America, while Reline America adds Integrity Inspection Solutions to its installer network. Both moves aim to expand the availability of trenchless solutions for aging water and wastewater infrastructure.
Underground construction activities grow in Central America, Caribbean
The volume of underground construction activities in the Central America and Caribbean region will significantly accelerate due to an acute need of modernization of local energy infrastructure. Also, the need for solutions to frequent regional blackouts and energy shortages is driving work.
Jeremy Wagner leads NASSCO through eventful year
Having originally joined the wastewater industry on the software development side more than 20 years ago, Wagner is now president and CEO of PipeLogix, a pipeline inspection software company based in Palm Desert, Calif.
Inside Infrastructure: Pipeline safety debate continues, construction fully engaged
The issue of pipeline safety, especially with regard to preventing damage to underground facilities during excavation, is a longstanding priority of the excavation construction industry. Although pipeline safety legislation has traditionally been bipartisan, battles over climate change and other peripheral issues have polarized the pipeline safety debate and obstructed efforts to move a bill through the legislative process and enacted into law.
Fiber optics and forests: Mosaic Technologies weaves fiber beneath Wisconsin’s Northwoods
In the forests of Northwest Wisconsin, Mosaic Technologies is laying nearly 400 miles of fiber to connect over 2,500 addresses, overcoming rugged terrain and tight deadlines to bring high-speed internet to remote communities.
Fort Wayne, Ind., tunnel project uses Vortex inserts to protect sewer system
Fort Wayne City Utilities is constructing a five-mile-long tunnel deep beneath the city to reduce combined sewer overflows into local rivers. Part of its Tunnel Works program, the project includes nine drop shafts, five of which feature IPEX’s Vortex Flow Inserts designed to minimize odors, prevent corrosion and improve wastewater quality before treatment.
- Glenfarne Alaska LNG targets late-2026 construction start for 807-mile pipeline project
- U.S. water reuse boom to fuel $47 billion in infrastructure spending through 2035
- $2.3 billion approved to construct 236-mile Texas-to-Gulf gas pipeline
- Major water pipe break in Puerto Rico hits over 165,000 customers
- Potomac River Tunnel project enters construction phase beneath Washington, D.C.
- Pennsylvania American Water launches interactive map to identify, replace lead water service lines
- Trump's tariffs drive $33 million cost increase for Cincinnati sewer project
- Utah city launches historic $70 million tunnel project using box jacking under active rail line
- Tulsa residents warned after sewer lines damaged by boring work
- Fatal trench collapse halts sewer construction in Massachusetts; two workers hospitalized