Partnership
Acted as a direct extension of City of Durham staff to closely and efficiently coordinate this continually expanding project.
Outreach
Collaborated with key businesses, entertainment venues, and residents to maintain access throughout construction.
Coordination
Coordinated improvements with ongoing private developments, and potential commuter rail and transit improvements throughout the area.
The American Tobacco District in downtown Durham, North Carolina is a growing hub for culture, residence, and business. As existing water and sewer infrastructure was installed in the early 1900s, significant improvements were required to increase reliability while meeting current and future needs of this growing area.
As a trusted partner to the City of Durham for other large-scale utility replacement projects, Kimley-Horn was selected to provide study, design, permitting, and construction phase services for multiple components of infrastructure replacements and installations in and around the American Tobacco District. This water and sanitary sewer improvement project has required extensive coordination with major stakeholders, businesses, and residents—including the Durham Performing Arts Center, American Tobacco Campus, and Durham Bulls Athletic Park.
Additionally, Kimley-Horn created traffic and pedestrian control plans for each section to maintain access to facilities throughout construction. Our public involvement approach included outreach early in the design phase and has continued through construction. Site and event-specific plans were coordinated with local stakeholders to address not only typical everyday activities, but also special events like the Fourth of July fireworks and other yearly festivals.
The overall project consists of the following components:
- Study, design, permitting, and construction of approximately 24,000 linear feet (LF) of existing 8- to 16-inch distribution waterlines and 8,800 LF of 36-inch transmission main
- Evaluation, replacement, rehabilitation, and point repairs for approximately 33,000 LF of existing 6- to 18-inch sanitary sewer
- Flow monitoring and development of a sewer model near the project area to determine sewer replacement sizes based on current and future projected flows
Planning for Future Developments
The American Tobacco Waterline Replacement project also includes three 54-inch and two 30-inch trenchless railroad crossings in coordination with existing and future track improvements, construction within NCDOT rights-of-way, extensive public outreach and development coordination, abandonment and reconnections of existing transmission mains, and coordination with conceptual Durham-Orange Light Rail and Commuter Rail improvements.
In addition to the primary project area, Kimley-Horn was a teaming partner for the East/West Reinforcing Main (EWRM) study phase, a routing analysis that evaluated four potential corridors for the installation of approximately 15,000 LF of a new 36-inch ductile iron (DI) transmission main.
Based on the recommendations of this preliminary engineering report, Kimley-Horn is providing design, permitting, and construction phase services for EWRM Segment 1, which includes approximately 8,800 LF of 36-inch transmission through the American Tobacco District.
