Australian Avenue serves as one of the main access roads and a gateway to West Palm Beach’s downtown business waterfront, cultural entities, as well as many residential complexes. As one of the initial phases of the overall Australian Avenue roadway improvement project, WGI designed a critical drainage crossing under Australian Avenue prior to the next phase of construction.

Due to the extreme depth of the 30” x 19” pipe and the numerous other underground utilities in the vicinity, WGI’s design engineers utilized the firm’s subsurface utility engineering and surveying capabilities to identify potential utility/design conflicts, which WGI resolved during the design process. With numerous existing underground utilities within the right-of-way, design engineers had to design the invert of the pipe more than 13 feet below the existing grade. At this extensive depth within a busy intersection, it was critical to develop a comprehensive temporary traffic control plan to safely divert traffic during construction to minimize disruption of traffic into the downtown area.

WGI obtained permits from the South Florida Water Management District, City of West Palm Beach, and the Palm Beach County Health Department for this project. Other design challenges include the relocation of a force main, the addition of a deep sanitary sewer gravity line conflict structure, and the addition of drainage infrastructure improvements.

PROJECT HIGHLIGHTS

• Full subsurface utility engineering investigation to map utilities to resolve potential conflicts during the design phase
• Intricate utility relocation and design of additional utility facilities within the project limits
• Completed permitting process with three agencies
• Model existing drainage network, and develop alternative system to elevate area flooding.