Revised Observer Highway Pump Construction Schedule:
- Pump Station Substantial Completion - June 30, 2011
- Rehabilitation of Twin Outfalls Complete and Extended to Long Slip Canal - September 29, 2011
- Pump Station Startup and Testing - October 7, 2011 – October 20, 2011
- Completion of Construction- December 20, 2011
Mr. Wilson noted the main reason for the extension of the completion of the project which had at one point been targeted for completion by the end of the Summer of 2011 had to do with the rehabilitation of the pipe that goes from the station into the Hudson River.
"Outfall Rehabilitation and Extension: As noted in previous monthly reports, completion of the permanent rehabilitation of the existing outfalls is required for operation of the pump station. This is the most complex portion of the project and it continues to impact the schedule for placing the pump station into operation. The contractor conducted a final trial cleaning on a test section of the West pipeline. With the direct field experience obtained from executing this, and previous trial cleaning methods, they determined that the most efficient process to clean the existing pipelines is by direct worker entry and use of hand tools."
Project Management Observation: Anytime you have to use hand tools in projects such as this, you can expect a lengthening of the project schedule.
Below are some recent photos of the work done so far:
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| Pump Station electrical building exterior |
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| Pump Station electrical building interior |
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| Exterior piping |
My comment: While it is bad news to some that this project got delayed past the Summer of 2011 at least there is a logical explanation for it. The report on the situation is professional and easy enough to read even for a layman. While I am not an engineer in my estimation this firm is using good project management tools and communication skills to keep the stakeholders informed of the project.
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