This capital infrastructure project involves the installation of 16’x8’ combined box sewers, a regulator chamber on a 48” interceptor (including a sluice gate), a tide gate chamber, and fourteen other chambers in Southeast Queens.

The Resident Engineering Inspection (REI) team implemented Value Engineering Principles when the contractor suggested replacing the pour-in-place box sewer with a precast double-barrel box sewer. The field team reviewed the contractor’s proposal, aligned it with DDC guidelines, and submitted it for approval. The proposal reduced overall operation time and expenses. Its installation took eleven months, significantly shorter than what was expected for pour-in-place sewer construction, and utilized two crews instead of the anticipated three. Overall, this proposal sped up the project timeline by several months.

A tide gate chamber was added to the project scope. During the review of field conditions for the Regulator Chamber, it was determined that there was potential for the tide to fill the combined sewer and impact the interceptor sewer. Field staff coordinated with NYCDDC, NYCDEP, the contractor, and the contractor’s fabricators to develop a tide gate chamber and its gates in accordance with DEP requirements and specifications.