Scoping a 6.5-mile corridor for center-running BRT with raised stations, we’ve got a 24-inch water main and trunk fiber sitting right where the guideway wants to go. If your team has faced this, did you offset the alignment, span with a shallow deck, or relocate the utilities to safeguard O&M and reliability long term, and did the choice support mode shift and emissions cuts five years in?
On a 6-mile center-running BRT we left the “24-inch water main” in place and nudged the guideway about 7 ft so stations cleared it, then used a shallow precast deck with removable panels over the trunk fiber at stops so crews could access it without tearing up the guideway. That avoided a nine-month relocation and kept ridership goals intact since platforms still read centered at key nodes; just watch settlement near valve clusters and bake vibration limits into the utility agreement.
We’ve dealt with similar situations and ended up using a combination of offsetting the alignment and a shallow precast deck to maintain access to the utilities. It worked out well for minimizing disruptions during construction and ongoing maintenance. Just keep in mind that site conditions can change, so always be ready to adapt your approach based on what you find on the ground.
I’ve seen teams successfully relocate utilities before, but it can get expensive fast. It might be worth checking if a movable bridge deck could work for you instead — just think of it as a lift for your pipes! @jordan45k, what do you think about that approach?