Lander Wyoming — Nix Construction

Lander%2B2020%2Bc.jpg — Pipe burst

**Lander, Wyoming**

TUNNELING THROUGH A PANDEMIC

You never know what the next project challenge is going to be…perhaps difficult soil conditions, or a complex jobsite shared with numerous other contractors, or weather wreaking havoc…or maybe it’s all of the above. The list of potential pitfalls in the underground business is a mile long, even on a good day. And then came the Corona Virus…

The project started out simple enough….Lander, Wyoming, a beautiful little town nestled at the foot of the picturesque Wind River Mountain range, needed a waterline replaced. A new 10” fusible PVC line would supplant 430’ of aging 8” ductile iron water pipe.

The pipe alignment path went through a major business parking lot, so a trenchless approach was a necessity, and the pipe-burst method was chosen as the best fit. 430’ pipeburst in a single pull was beyond the equipment manufacturer’s recommended limitations, but minimizing the disruption to the business was crucial, so the solution had to be creative.

With a solid plan in place, the crew arrived on site on March 2, 2020. About that same time there was news regarding a ‘novel corona virus’ that was cause for concern. We all know how that story turned out……Within days panic multiplied exponentially, and numerous states issued ‘Stay at Home’ orders for their citizens. To keep things interesting, an outbreak of COVID 19 occurred at the same time in Lander. The Pandemic was now in full bloom.

Nationwide chaos ensued, and fear & worry dominated the country. But underground, the show must go on….New virus safety rules were quickly developed by the crew. Everyone went straight to their hotel rooms after the workday and stayed there, even for meals. Each day brought new concerns, and guidelines were formulated and adjusted on the fly by the team, sometimes hourly. And yet, with all this going on, not a day of work was lost. Not a single project goal was missed. The rest of the world was shutting down, but the crew deftly navigated the unknown and forged ahead. By the first week of April, the new water line was installed, on time and on budget. The customer was pleased and astonished that the pandemic hadn’t shut down the job. Another big win for the Nix team, and another tricky project challenge handled masterfully. But that’s just business as usual for this team.

Whatever tricky project challenges you may have, we have solutions to fit. Give us a call and we’ll help you resolve all your underground challenges, even if we have to battle through a pandemic to do it.