Owner and Engineer:

U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, New Orleans District

Project Summary:

The Harahan Pump to the River Project was part of the Southeast Louisiana Flood Control project, which the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers created more than 10 years ago to control flooding in Jefferson, Orleans and St. Tammany parishes.

The $8.5 million pipe installation is part of a $105 million program that will eventually entail a large pump station at the low point of one of the city’s drainage canal systems. The pump station will be used to pump flood water, when necessary, through triple-barrel 84-inch steel pipe line over the levee and into the Mississippi River. The Harahan work was particularly difficult because of serious safety issues, groundwater and poor soil.

“For me, AMERICAN's product quality is second to none.”

Key Players:

In addition to the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, Babcock Construction (Petal, Miss.) and subcontractors Eutaw Construction (Jackson, Miss.) and Casey Kostmayer JV (Slidell, La.) played key roles.

What They Said:

“The most intimidating part of the project was the location of three sets of high-voltage power lines. One set of 250,000-volt transmission mains runs down the middle of the entire length of the project, directly over the pipe run. The other two, power distribution mains that are 50,000 volts each, run down the entire length of each side of the right-of way. The safe distances we had to maintain from these power lines virtually cut our actual available work space to two strips of land no more than 30 feet wide that run the length of the project. Handling joints of pipe that weigh more than 22,000 pounds each with equipment that will operate in these tight working spaces was a challenge.- Josh Layton, project manager, Babcock Construction

“The shoring design called for two layers of walers and struts to be located above and perpendicular to the pipe and at a spacing of 26 feet, which is less than the 39-foot joints of pipe. So we designed a system to lift these joints under and between nearby power lines, twist the pipe perpendicular to the centerline, lower each joint in the hole below the strut elevation, then twist the pipe again back to parallel with the centerline, then finally maneuver the pipe into place.- Josh Layton, project manager, Babcock Construction

“For me, AMERICAN’s product quality is second to none. I have dealt with many other manufacturers, and AMERICAN continues to give us an advantage at bid time over other manufacturers for many reasons other than competitive pricing.- Josh Layton, project manager, Babcock Construction

What They Used:

Babcock’s work involved the installation of 2,034 feet of triple-barrel 84-inch spiral-welded steel pipe manufactured by AMERICAN.