Life-Cycle-Cost Comparison of Trenchless and Conventional Open-Cut Pipeline Construction Projects

Abstract

The conventional method of pipeline construction has been the traditional open-cut method. The advancement in technology over the recent years has led to trenchless pipe construction and renewals. However, the local government agencies, design and consulting engineers and municipalities are slow in recognizing the trenchless technology cost benefits compared to the traditional open-cut method. This is mainly due to initial construction costs of open-cut which might be lower, but a comparison of the life-cycle-costs between the open-cut and trenchless pipeline construction would reveal the real costs of both methods. This paper presents an investigation of cost-effectiveness of constructing underground pipelines with trenchless method in urban centers with cost of conventional open-cut method. The study includes a breakdown of the engineering and capital costs of the construction and the social costs for both methods. An analysis of factors for a decision making process are presented.

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