GMB wins Conceptor Award for Lewes water main project

Lewes engineering firm George, Miles & Buhr LLC was selected to receive a 2023 Engineering Excellence Conceptor Award by the American Council of Engineering Companies of Delaware for the Pilottown Road Water Main and Lead Service Replacement Project, completed in 2022 in Lewes.

GMB assisted the Lewes Board of Public Works with upgrading its water distribution capacity to its westernmost limits. In all, 5,900 feet of PVC water pipe was installed to replace aging cast-iron pipe, and 98 house services were replaced with PE pipe including existing lead/galvanized services. The project also included improvements to 6,700 feet of existing terra cotta clay sanitary sewer pipe using cured-in-place lining technology to minimize disturbance of traffic on Pilottown Road. That work was completed over several days, a much-expedited result over the months-long open-cut replacement method traditionally used. The CIP installation also minimized restoration requirements for Pilottown Road. Improvements were also made to the stormwater system at specific problem locations within project limits. All ramps and crosswalks were made Americans with Disabilities Act compliant, and 7,000 feet of Pilottown Road was rebuilt/repaved at the end of the project. The project was completed below budget and within schedule.

This conceptually large project allowed Lewes BPW to increase its capacity to meet projected future water demand and sewage flows by replacing aged, potentially unsafe and undersized infrastructure, while maintaining a safe work environment and minimizing disruption to the city’s residents, visitors and businesses.