A Jordan construction company is utilizing tunnel boring equipment constructed by Akkerman, Inc. in Brownsdale in an uncommon instance of the equipment being used in an area project. Minger Construction is using a guided boring machine purchased from Akkerman in 2009, one of the company’s most consistent sources of revenue, to complete a siphon replacement project for the City of Austin beneath the Cedar River in Driesner Park. Using a trenchless method known as pilot tube microtunneling (PTMT), Minger is boring through the Earth, underneath the river in order to place existing infrastructure that is over 100-years old. On Wednesday, employees of Akkerman were on hand to watch as Minger workers began work on establishing the second line and giving the employees a rare glimpse of the machinery they built in action. “It’s great when you make a part and you can see that part in the machine on the job,” said Akkerman President Justin Akkerman. “Again, that comes full circle.” The job itself is something of a specialty for Minger Construction, who has been a customer of Akkerman since that initial 2009 purchase. Originally, the plan called for an open cut through the river, but Minger instead proposed using the PTMT instead to replace the siphon, which according to Austin City Engineer Steven Lang was constructed in 1922 and is the only siphon in Austin, which primarily uses lift stations to route sanitary sewer to the Wastewater Treatment Plant. Lang said this infrastructure is responsible for collection in the northeastern area of Austin between East Side Lake and the Cedar River. “They just happened to line up,” Lang said, also referring to the three-year Wastewater Treatment Plant construction going on simultaneously, which is unrelated to the Cedar work. “Through some inspection, it’s time to replace it.” The project itself calls for the installation of two new lines running side by side — eight-inch and 12-inch HDPE sanitary siphon. Dewatering wells were first installed on either side of the Cedar River where the 15-foot deep launch and reception pits were installed. Once the tunneling equipment was placed into the launch pit, meter long sections of four-inch diameter pilot tubing was pushed through the ground, displacing material along a precise line and grade along the 84-foot long alignment. An adapter is then installed between the pilot tube and 16-inch diameter steel casing, which allows ground to enter the steel casing, which is eventually removed through the use of an auger. In turn, the pilot tubes are removed from the reception pit as the casing sections are advanced. Once the casings are fully installed, the HDPE is installed and grout is injected between that piping and the steel casing to fill the void between the two pipes. While it’s an impressive project, for Akkerman it’s a chance for some hometown pride in what the company does. This project is only the second time it’s been used in the Austin area. “We design, build and sell out of Brownsdale worldwide, but equipment has never been working in Austin with the exception of 2002,” Akkerman said. “We had a prototype of this product that actually did some work at a residential location just to kind of test it and prove it out.” Akkerman constructs a number of boring machines ranging from the one currently being used by Minger at the siphon project, all the way up to much larger boring machines. Akkerman said that currently there is a 74-inch machine that is destined for the Metropolitan Council in the Twin Cities. The opportunity to see  their equipment being used locally is another chance to showcase in the area what Akkerman does. “It’s two things,” Akkerman said. “One thing is just for the employees that when they maybe talk to someone about what they do, people may not grasp what they do out there. What they are building. They can kind of tell their friends and neighbors, look at this article. This is how our equipment is used.” “No. 2, I’ve been trying to do a lot of stuff out in the community and just kind of introduce Akkerman to the community. I think that will help come full circle. Okay, this is how that works,” Akkerman added. Akkerman also highlighted that Minger is a good match for the company. “They are a very innovative company,” Akkerman said. “They’ve helped us grow. They kind of pushed the boundaries and worked with us to develop different things. It’s kind of cool to test it in Austin and now we’re coming back to Austin with a fully matured product.” Lang said that Minger was the low bidder for the project, which with construction and engineering costs combined will come to around $1.1 million. “This is more big city technology where they are super deep,” Lang said. “It’s very unique for us to have this opportunity to use it. I’m glad it worked out and it’s going to be interesting to see. It’s cool we have that connection with Akkerman so close and we get to see a project.” Lang said that he anticipates the project being done in early December, with final clean-up carrying  on through Christmas. The project also will include new control boxes on each side of the river with gravity sanitary sewer tied into each. The post Cedar River project makes use of local company’s hardware appeared first on Austin Daily Herald.