Date
Monday, July 20, 2026
Time
11:00 AM - 11:30 AM
Location Name
Room 6, Level 2
Name
Kentucky’s Largest CMAR Pipeline Project Offering Utility Solutions; Fast-Tracked and Under Budget!
Track
Construction: Alternative Delivery
Description
The Flow for Our Future project is a major water and wastewater system expansion undertaken by the Warren County Water District (WCWD) to support ongoing economic development and long-term population growth in northeastern Warren County, Kentucky. WCWD serves a 530 square-mile service area with approximately 1,200 miles of pipeline, 36 pumping stations, and 28 storage tanks. To deliver critical infrastructure within an accelerated timeframe and manage the risks associated with a large, complex project, WCWD selected the Construction Manager at Risk (CMAR) project delivery method. The project consists of approximately 21 miles of 20- to 24-inch water main and force main, including an open-cut river crossing, multiple railroad crossings installed via jack-and-bore methods, expansion and reconstruction of an existing sewer lift station, construction of a new 6-million-gallon-per-day booster pump station, and installation of two master meter vaults. The scope required coordination across multiple disciplines, jurisdictions, and regulatory agencies, creating conditions well-suited for early contractor involvement. The CMAR delivery approach allowed WCWD to procure the project at approximately 30 percent design, enabling the selected construction manager, Cleary Construction, to actively participate as design advanced through 60 percent, 90 percent, and final design milestones. This early engagement facilitated continuous constructability reviews, detailed cost modeling, and schedule validation, providing WCWD with increased budget transparency and informed decision-making throughout design development. Bi-weekly collaborative meetings among WCWD, HDR (Engineer of Record), and Cleary focused on constructability, risk mitigation, and value engineering, transitioning later to construction sequencing and progress coordination. Several key design challenges—including evolving easement constraints, subsurface uncertainty, hydraulic considerations, and alignment limitations—were addressed through collaborative problem-solving made possible by the CMAR process. Strategic modifications to construction methods and alignments, such as adjusting river crossing techniques and optimizing the use of existing infrastructure, reduced overall project risk and resulted in approximately $4 million in savings to the Guaranteed Maximum Price, including approximately $2 million attributed to major alignment and construction method revisions. Additional subsurface investigations, coordinated early through the CMAR team, improved design certainty and reduced construction-phase risk. Construction was executed using multiple concurrent work fronts to maintain the accelerated schedule, including simultaneous pipeline installation, boring operations, and pump station construction. Early coordination with permitting agencies, utility owners, and local jurisdictions—supported by CMAR-led planning—streamlined approvals and minimized impacts to the public. Comprehensive public outreach and ongoing coordination with the Kentucky Transportation Cabinet further supported efficient construction execution. This presentation will demonstrate how the CMAR delivery method provided measurable benefits to the Owner by improving cost certainty, schedule control, constructability, and risk management, while enabling the efficient delivery of large-scale, fast-track water and wastewater infrastructure to support sustainable community growth.