Fast-Track Design-Build to Respond to Extreme Weather

The design-build project increased the stormwater pumping capacity by 7,500 cubic feet per second (cfs) at the two major canals. The scale of the project was massive and the pumping systems were online within 7 months of contract award. The project included eight new pumping systems at the London Avenue Canal site and 25 new pumping systems at the 17th Street Canal site. This paper presents the design-build approach implemented by WESTON to increase the stormwater pumping capacity, describes how project challenges were overcome to maintain the aggressive schedule, presents the factors that led to the success of this project, and addresses the possibility of future extreme weather events.